Following a competitive process, Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Supernatural, trading as Smart Kitchen, for the provision of hot school lunches.

Government have said that hot school lunches will be available within a few weeks, initially at the new Bayside and Westside schools, and will be progressively rolled out to all the other schools and the College in the coming months. There will be an emphasis on providing healthy, nutritionally balanced meals and children with special dietary needs will be catered for.

Students or parents/carers will be able to download a catering app or pick up a card at the schools and preload their account. Details of cost per meal will be released shortly, as will information on applying for waiving of the fee in cases of hardship, when the cost will be met by the Government.

Minister for Education John Cortes commented, “As promised, we are now rolling out the Government’s commitment to providing hot lunches in our schools. This is just one more part of the massive progress we are making in our education system. In this way we are giving children the option of nourishing, balanced, sustainable meals as part of their school day.”

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo QC said, ‘ I am delighted that we will soon be able to offer every school pupil, a healthy, nutritious and tasty lunch.

The current move into new buildings is an ideal opportunity to provide the new schools with the catering facilities needed to prepare meals on their own premises and, soon, existing schools will be adapted for the same purpose.

I am really proud that my Government is rolling out such a major improvement to our educational system which will be of benefit to the schools, to the children and to their families and so it is a win-win-win situation.’