Marks & Spencer will bolster the government's £15 free school meals vouchers to give children £20 worth of a food a week amid controversy over the quality of parcels being handed to children on the breadline.
The grocer will add an extra £5 to every £15 voucher redeemed at M&S via the free school meals initiative in England.
It said the extra funding will help cover both breakfast and lunch for children who are at risk of poverty.
Food charities and anti-poverty campaigners, including footballer Marcus Rashford, have repeatedly clashed with the government over the issue of food for poor pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly over school holidays.
The scheme has been extended until February after Boris Johnson announced a third national lockdown.
Marcus Rashford MBE, who has been leading the campaign, said: "Education is the most effective means of breaking cycles of hardship in some respects but education is only achievable with strong engagement and concentration.
"Unfortunately for the majority, hunger does not allow that. I thank M&S for taking the strong initiative to support the uplift of the vouchers to cover an essential meal of the day and I'm confident we will see a great response from those most vulnerable."
Stuart Machin, M&S food managing director, said: "M&S always puts customers at the heart of what we do and we want to step up and do our bit to help families during this difficult time.
"Through bolstering the Government’s £15 meal voucher to £20, we can ensure that children get a nutritious breakfast as well as lunch and we are delighted that Marcus Rashford is supporting our efforts."
Free meals fiasco
Social media was ablaze this week with images of inadequate food parcels being handed to children from low income households.
Boris Johnson and other ministers criticised the quality of what was being sent out by some school food firms - namely supplier Chartwells.
In many cases, children were sent pasta and tuna fish bundled into money bags, with vegetables portioned into a handful of slices. The meals, according to the DfE's guidance, should last each child up to two weeks.
Chartwells, the firm which supplied the parcel, has since apologised.
The education secretary said schools will be able to offer vouchers rather than food parcels from next week.
Gavin Williamson told the education select committee on Wednesday that he was "absolutely disgusted" by the photo of the food parcel's contents, and that his department had made it clear "this sort of behaviour is just not right [and] will not be tolerated".
He said the government would "support any school that needs to take action" and "name and shame those that are not delivering against the standards" set by theDfE.
The PM expressed his gratitude to footballer Marcus Rashford - a high-profile advocate for free school meals who shared images of some parcels online.
Speaking to MPs on the Commons Liaison committee on Wednesday afternoon, Johnson said the free school meals pictured online do not reflect government guidance, adding it was a "scandal and a disgrace that some companies are trying to get away with the provision that they're offering".
The PM added that it was the decision of the schools on whether or not to have vouchers or food parcels, saying that about 75% opt for vouchers but that some schools wish to continue to support caterers.
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Food parcels have been sent to pupils in England who would normally be eligible for free school meals while schools are closed during the coronavirus lockdown.
The national voucher scheme provides supermarket vouchers through an online portal. The government had previously used this scheme during the first lockdown.
Chartwells, the company that provided the parcel, said it was actually only intended to last one school week and had cost £10.50 for food, packing and distribution.
In a further statement posted on Wednesday, the firm, which is owned by Compass group, said it had "fully investigated" its food parcels provision in the last few hours. It apologised for those parcels that did not meet the firm's high standards, and committed to refunding the costs.
Official guidance on food parcels
- Parcels should contain food items rather than pre-prepared meals due to food safety considerations
- Minimise the fridge and freezer space that schools and families will need to store foods
- Contain items which parents can use to prepare healthy lunches for their child/children across the week
- Not rely on parents having additional ingredients at home to prepare meals
- Not contain items restricted under the school food standards
- Cater for pupils who require special diets, for example, allergies, vegetarians or religious diets - schools should ensure there are systems in place to avoid cross-contamination
- Contain appropriate packaging sizes for household use, rather than wholesale sizes
