Rolling out hot meals to schools will be ‘major challenge’

Supplier Carambola will prepare and deliver hot food for one Dublin school in pilot project

Regina Doherty, Minister for Social Protection, with Lewis Hickey Burns, Riley O’Mera and Alisha Stafford of Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Goldenbridge, Dublin 8 Pic: Shane O’Neill

The company carrying out the state’s first-ever hot school meals project has admitted it will be a major challenge to roll it out on a national basis.

Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty launched the scheme last week to provide a free hot lunch to pupils in disadvantaged schools instead of a cold one. The lunches are being cooked off site and delivered in sealed packaging to children to eat in their classrooms.