Experts and political figures, including Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, are calling for policy reforms such as automatic registration to ensure all eligible children, especially those in childcare, receive free meals.

Despite the planned expansion of free school meals, many children in early years settings will remain ineligible due to restrictive criteria like specific nursery types, attendance patterns, and registration processes.

Child poverty in the UK has risen, with 36% of families with children under five living in poverty, and approximately 109 children falling into poverty daily, partly due to policies like the two-child benefit cap.

The Department for Education states that the upcoming FSM expansion aims to reduce child poverty, with over half a million more children expected to benefit in the next school year, including some in school-based nurseries on Universal Credit.

However, the government’s plan to extend free school meal eligibility to all children in Universal Credit households from September 2026 will initially benefit only about 4% of children in formal childcare, increasing from 24,000 to 39,000 children.

Supported by organizations like The Food Foundation and the Early Years Food Coalition, the report criticizes the government’s planned FSM expansion for 2026, which will only extend to children in families receiving Universal Credit, leaving many others still excluded.

Many childcare providers are currently covering the costs of feeding eligible children out of their own budgets, often leading to financial strain amid ongoing sector funding shortages.

These additional eligibility barriers mean that most children who meet income and benefit criteria will still be excluded from free meals, according to Bremner & Co.

A recent report by Bremner & Co exposes a hidden crisis in early years food provision, revealing that nearly 300,000 young children in UK poverty will miss out on free meals because current policies do not extend to most nurseries and childcare settings.

Dayna Brackley from Bremner & Co highlights that children most in need of nutritious food are the least likely to receive it, as providers report more hungry children but lack the means to feed them.

The report underscores a broader issue of child deprivation, with 36% of children—around 5.2 million—living in poverty, and over 2 million people experiencing severe hardship due to the cost of living crisis.