17. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the dieticians' report on the nutritional standards for the hot school meals scheme. [67383/26]

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Nutrition Review Report was published earlier this week.  The report was conducted by a CORU-registered dietician for the School Meals Programme who is under the clinical supervision of the Department of Health.

Before commenting on the report I want to make some key points.

First the provision of nutritious food during school time is known to be important in helping children to learn and develop.

Second we know some children do not have access to sufficient food in the home environment;  to the extent that we can compensate, even partially, for this by providing meals in school, on a non-discriminatory basis, then it is important that we do so.

Third, at a time of rising costs, the provision of school meals is an important support to all families with young children, delivering a cost saving benefit per child of almost €600 per annum.

Fourth the vast majority of our schools do not have on site food preparation or catering facilities this means we are reliant on off-site preparation.

The reason I make these points is that while we cannot let the perfect get in the way of the good, and we are all aware that children can be fussy eaters, it is important that we create the environment for them to thrive, participate and succeed.

The report showed there is a wide variety of meals offered under the scheme, with good availability of nutritious and well-balanced options. 82% of meals analysed did not contain foods considered high in fat, salt or sugar.  However, the analysis of data on meal options showed that high fat, salt, sugar foods are chosen, by parents, over healthier options when available on the menu.

Feedback provided by principals and teachers during school visits was largely positive.

There are of course improvements required in the scheme.  Meals would benefit from increased provision of vegetables, fruit, salad and wholegrain foods, improving menu consistency, providing age-appropriate portion sizes and strengthening compliance systems.

Importantly, the findings of the report align closely with those in the independent IPSOS Behaviour and Attitudes evaluation of service review of the Hot School Meals Scheme and support the recommendations in the report.

I am pleased to see that the reports indicate a generally high standard of food provision and a high level of overall satisfaction.  I am also pleased that they provide an independent and objective view of those areas where we can improve the programme.  I will immediately begin to act on those recommendations for improvement.