Tens of thousands of pupils to get free healthy school meals

Tens of thousands more children are to receive free healthy school meals under new plans by the Scottish Government.

From next August, those eligible will include the children of parents on the maximum working tax credit, resulting in an extra 44,000 pupils receiving free meals.

Adam Ingram, the children's minister, explained: "We are trying to target people who would benefit from free school meals but whom the entitlement doesn't actually stretch to at the moment," he said. "People are losing out who should be entitled." He went on: "We want to improve the health of children by improving eating habits. If we can change a child's palate in early years so they ask for good food, we can lose some of the bad habits which can have bad health effects later in life."

John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: "It is a very welcome step toward ensuring every child, whatever their home circumstances, gets a healthy meal during the school day. It will help boost children's health, education and wellbeing and provide a really welcome benefit to hard-pressed families across Scotland."