Jamie Oliver

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has called for all Children in households on universal credit to be given free school meals.

He told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme that England has the " meanest" policy in the UK for how many Children are eligible for free school meals.

Around one in five pupils - 1. 7 million Children - currently receive free school meals in England.

The government says there are no plans to change the criteria.

In England, all infant State School pupils up to Year Two Can get free school meals during term time.

Children in Year Three and above living in households on income-related benefits (such as universal credit) are also eligible, as long as their annual household income does not exceed £7,400 after tax. That figure does not include welfare payments.

Mr Oliver, who has long campaigned against cheap junk food, is backing The Feed The Future campaign for free school meals to be extended to around 800,000 more Children who are " The Most vulnerable in society".

" If you earn over £7,400 then you won't get that free school lunch, But I think we'd all agree there's a massive gap between the means test for free school lunches as it stands and universal credit, " Mr Oliver told Today.

The Chef said he believed that investing in free school meals for Children would help the economy in the long-term.

" The reality is, if you speak to The Best minds in economics, in the country, in The World , they Will Tell you that if you output healthier kids, you're going to have a more productive, more profitable country, better GDP. "

" We know in every way, shape and form that kids who have a decent lunch and breakfast learn better, their educational attainment is better. . But no-one's taken it seriously yet. "

Health and Social Care Secretary Therese Coffey said the government would not be widening the criteria for free school meals and that it was important that support for struggling families was " targeted".

She Said if all Children from families on universal credit were allowed to have free school meals, " taxpayers may be surprised to learn that somebody on £35,000 or £40,000 would all of a sudden be eligible".

Mr Oliver also said England had the " meanest" policy on free school meals.

In Northern Ireland Children in households on universal credit that earn less than £14,000 a year are eligible for free school meals. and have recently committed to rolling out free school meal provision to all primary pupils.

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Source of news: bbc.com