15124 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Associate Minister of Education

15124 (2025). Hon Willow-Jean Prime to the Associate Minister of Education: How many meals delivered on time, if any, arrived in unsuitable condition for consumption, such as still frozen or already heated at 8.30am, during the week of March 17 2025?

Hon David Seymour: I am advised by the Ministry of Education it does not hold information on the number of meals that arrive to schools in an unsuitable condition. The Ministry has however received feedback from schools about meals in the week 17 – 21 March 2025. There were 18 contacts from 17 schools providing various feedback on meals from the School Lunch Collective. This included feedback on a menu item for that week that schools felt was unappealing and their expectation was the meal would be delivered warm. The notification email from the School Lunch Collective said the meal would be supplied at ambient temperature, which means not heated. Additional food items were provided with this meal to supplement the nutritional standards. The variance in the size of the main meal and accompanying fruit raised a question about the total meal meeting the programme nutritional standards The Ministry is working with this supplier to make sure this variance is reduced or resolved for future meals. There were also some positive comments about the meals received over this week. This is also my response to written parliamentary question 15125 (2025).