John Allan, chairman of Tesco, has called for a 'very significant extension' of free school meals to support thousands of children facing hunger during the cost of living crisis. He described the expansion as 'really good value for money' and urged the government to act.
Allan noted that Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket chain, is seeing more customers paying in cash to manage their spending as housing and energy costs rise, with food price inflation at its highest in 45 years. He warned that these problems are unlikely to diminish in 2023.
The call follows a Daily Mail investigation revealing that 800,000 children from poor families are denied free meals because their household income exceeds the eligibility threshold of £7,400 net earnings (excluding benefits) in England. The cap has been frozen since 2018; if it had risen with inflation, it would be £8,575, making 110,000 more children eligible.
Currently, 1.9 million pupils (just over a fifth of total) receive free school meals, but many in poverty miss out. Public figures including Jamie Oliver and Marcus Rashford have also urged ministers to extend the scheme. A poll of cross-party MPs found two-thirds backed expansion, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt faced criticism for ignoring the issue in his autumn statement.
In October, Tesco donated £1 million to food banks and charities Trussell Trust and FareShare. Allan said, 'We’re doing all we can, but I don’t think it’s enough.' He emphasised that expanding free school meals would be one of the most cost-effective measures the government could take.
