Principals call for extension to hot meals programme as 'food poverty is increasingly visible'

School principal Conor McCarthy said that the hot meals programme is 'feeding hungry children consistently every day during the school year.' Picture: Dan Linehan

School principals have warned food poverty is becoming increasingly visible, prompting calls for the school meals scheme to be extended outside of term time.

The Oireachtas education committee concluded its body of work on Tuesday examining the impact of the hot school meals programme introduced in recent years.