Mum hits out at kid’s half a raw jacket potato school lunch as Marcus Rashford steps in

A mother has pleaded for help to end child poverty after sharing a photo of a “measly” school meal.

Chloe Davis shared the photograph of the “unacceptable” school meal, which included a half raw jacket potato topped with a small portion of beans, on social media.

Her child’s meal also featured a few strands of lettuce, a slice of cucumber and a slither of yellow pepper.

The Department for Education is investigating the meal after it caught the attention of free school meals campaigner Marcus Rashford.

Via its Twitter account, the Department for Education admitted that the meal “does not meet our school food standards” and confirmed that they were investigating.

Ms Davis from Bristol, tweeted: “How can this be deemed acceptable for a school meal?

“Not only is it not enough but it’s also not cooked properly (hard potato!) – this is the only hot meal for most of the children receiving this!”

In another tweet, she wrote: “It costs the families £2.50/day to get a school meal. Even if this was double the size and with more veg it wouldn’t cost more than £1!

“Totally shocked and sad for these children. MarcusRashford, Jamie Oliver #ENDCHILDFOODPOVERTY.”

Man United forward Marcus Rashford retweeted Ms Davis’s post, and it went viral, generating nearly 18,000 likes, comments and retweets.

He also responded to her message, asking where the meal was served, and for further information.

The Department of Education has said that they do not oversee nor offer a central contract to any food supplier and that these are put in place by schools, multi-academy trusts and local authorities.

A spokesperson said: “Pupils and students returning to face-face-education, normal school meal provision has resumed, with caterers expected to provide healthy, nutritious meals to pupils.

“All food provided in schools must comply with the School Food Standards.

“We know caterers are working hard with schools to provide nutritious, balanced lunches for their pupils, but where this isn’t happening, we’ve set out a clear process for parents to raise concerns so appropriate action can be taken, by contacting their schools in the first instance or calling the Department’s helpline.”