A Longford based supplier of school meals is warning thousands of pupils risk missing out on free lunches and dinners.
Freshtoday, employs 125 people in Longford and delivers 25,000 lunches from the midlands base with a further 65,000 school meals provided to students nationwide.
Chief Executive Ray Nangle says suppliers are now being forced to drop out of the scheme due to rising inflation and low payment rates
Suppliers get 60 cent for each pupil for breakfast, €1.40 for lunch and €1.90 for dinner.
They claim those rates have not changed since 2003.
Ray says payments haven't kept up with rising food prices:
"With the cost of living crisis, us as school meal suppliers are feeling the same as every family in the country. Back in 2003 the social welfare rate was 124 euro a week and that's what families were asked to feed their kids on, and pay their ESB and household bills with".
Senator Eugene Murphy raised this concern in the Seanad last week and it's understood a report is currently being carried out on the issue.
