The Irish government has a goal of providing a hot meal in every school for every child in the country by 2030 at the latest.
When the school meals programme began in 2019 it was initially for a pilot number of disadvantaged schools known as DEIS schools. It has gradually expanded over the years, and the rollout is now really moving up through the gears.
Now this is big business, with a number of competing companies looking for a share of the business. One of those involved in the sector is a company called Fresh Today, which delivers healthy school lunches to more than 650 schools around the country. In Donegal, it now supplies more than 65 schools – including ones on Tory Island and Arranmore Island.
And it has created 45 jobs in Donegal, with new facilities having recently opened in Letterkenny and Buncrana.
To find out more, Chris Ashmore been speaking with its managing director Richie Nangle.