TUC Congress 2024: Unions back universal free school meals and right to food

Union delegates have voted in favour of a motion which calls on the TUC to campaign for universal free school meals for “all primary and secondary children and young people”.

The motion at the TUC Congress in Brighton also called for the establishment of a minister for food and of a “statutory right to accessible, affordable and nutritious food”.

The composited motion was moved by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and seconded by the Educational Institute of Scotland, the Scottish teachers’ union.

It was originally due to be discussed yesterday but was moved up to accommodate an address by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Annette Mansell-Green of the BDA described the scale of food poverty in the UK as a “national scandal” and said, while there is no quick fix, there are steps the government can take to address access to healthy food. She also said the expansion of universal free school meals improves diet, nutrition and educational outcomes for pupils.

“No child should fall through the net and each child should have at least one hot and nutritious meal every day,” she said.

“We cannot allow our children to go hungry any longer.”

At Congress last year, delegates approved a more limited motion put by Unison which backed universal free school meals for primary school pupils.

The motion approved last year called on the Labour Party to include a commitment on free school meals in its manifesto. The manifesto, published in June, did not include any commitments on this.

It did however include a commitment to free school breakfast programmes for primary school students.

Free school meal programmes have been rolled out by Labour administrations in Wales and in London.