School meals fuss throws the baby out with the bathwater

Social media misinformation around nutrition is causing privilege and scaremongering to override science, writes Niamh O'Connor

There is no such thing as a good food or a bad food. It is the overall diet that counts, not the inclusion or exclusion of a few specific foods that might be high in fat, salt and/or sugar. Picture: iStock

As the summer draws to a close and back-to-school looms in the horizon, parents will no longer have to compete in the annual back-to-school photography Olympics of perfectly curated lunch boxes as all primary school kids can now avail of the free hot meals scheme. 

However, 350 new schools due to join the scheme will be put on hold due to proposed new rules from the Government’s procurement department.