Almost 290,000 children under five in households claiming Universal Credit are missing out on free meals in nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders, new report reveals.
While Government plans aim to expand Free School Meals to all Universal Credit households from September 2026, the rollout largely excludes early years settings, meaning fewer than 4% of eligible children in childcare currently benefit—compared with 30% of school pupils.
The report, published by Bremner & Co. and supported by The Food Foundation and the Early Years Food Coalition, urges the Government to extend free meals to all children in Universal Credit households, regardless of the type of childcare setting they attend.
It also called for eligibility to be simplified and for childcare providers to be provided with more funding to ensure early years nutrition doesn’t fall through the cracks.
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