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An angry mother tweeted a photo of what she says is an inappropriate food basket to replace free school meals for her son.
The image has been shared more than 18,000 times on Twitter, including footballer Marcus Rashford, who had campaigned to ensure that families received food during the confinement, calling it “unacceptable.”
Show a loaf of bread, a bag of pasta, a can of baked beans, some cheese, three apples, two carrots, a tomato, two baked potatoes, two bananas, two malt bar sandwiches, and three tubes the size of a fresh cheese sandwich.
The unidentified mother, who uses the Twitter username “Roadside Mum,” said she was sent only a few pounds of food to feed her son for 10 days.
Families eligible for free school meals have the option of meal packages or vouchers while schools are closed due to a third national closure in England.
The mother said the package had been issued by Chartwells, a private company contracted by the Department of Education, rather than vouchers worth 30 pounds.
“To be honest, you could do more with £ 30,” he wrote, adding that he estimated the total value of the goods to be £ 5.22.
In response to suggestions that the loaf of bread in the picture was out of date, the mother said the expiration date was November 2021, not November 2020.
“It’s up to date and looks good. To be fair, it’s pretty nice,” he added.
Chartwells messaged the parents directly on Twitter and said it was investigating.
The company tweeted: “Thanks for letting us know about this, this does not reflect the specification of one of our baskets.
“Please send us an email with the details of the school your child attends and we will investigate immediately.”
Manchester United star Rashford tweeted that he had been in contact with Chartwells and that representatives for the firm were having a meeting with the Department of Education today.
He posted that “once food is supplied to the school network, the schools have autonomy over how the baskets are distributed,” and that the problem seems to have worsened with the latest closure.
“One thing that is clear is that there was very little communication with the providers that a national shutdown was coming,” Rashford said.
“We MUST do better. Children shouldn’t go hungry on the grounds that we are not communicating or being transparent about plans. That is unacceptable.”
Labor Vice Leader Angela Rayner also retweeted the original Twitter post.
She said: “If the government allows companies to make money by providing reduced-price meals for hungry children, we will fight for change. No child should go hungry.”
He urged anyone in a similar situation to get in touch.
Since then, several other parents have come forward and tweeted images of their packages, including one who said they were “disgusted” by a package that contained a “pathetic piece of carrot.”
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “The images that appear online of woefully inappropriate free school lunch packages are a disgrace.
“Where is the money going? This must be sorted out immediately so that families don’t starve because of the confinement.”
The Health Department said it was investigating after images posted on social media showed only a small amount of food sent to families in some areas of the council.
Children’s Minister Vicky Ford tweeted: “I will be looking into this urgently; food packages must cover all meals at lunchtime and be nutritious; we have increased funding for packages and will support local coupons; the National coupon will also be implemented as soon as possible, working day and night on this. Hope your kids are doing well @roadsidemum. “
A spokesperson for Chartwells, which is not the only provider of free school meals in the UK, told Sky News: “We take our responsibility to provide children with access to nutritious food very seriously.
“We have worked hard to produce food baskets on incredibly short notice during these challenging times. Our baskets follow DFE specifications and contain a variety of ingredients to help families provide meals during the week. In most cases, we have received feedback.
“In this case, the image on Twitter does not meet our hurdle specification and we are eager to investigate with the appropriate school so we can address any operational issues that may have arisen.”
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