St Francis National School is very excited to welcome ‘The Lunch Bag’ school lunch delivery service to our school.
The Lunch Bag provides free school lunches for all our pupils in line with the EU Child Guarantee Scheme (funded by the Department of Social Welfare) which aims to see all children receive a free school meal by 2030. We are delighted to have been chosen for the scheme which launched in school in April 2024.
Here are all the details that you need to know!
What does this mean for your school?
All students in school now receive a hot meal for free every school day.
How does it work?
All parents have access to the Lunch Bag app with their own unique access code for their child.
Ordering
The app allows you to order from over 30 different hot meals each week.
You can have a different meal every day of the week if you wish. Meals can be repeated every week or changed every day if you prefer. You can change your order up to 36 hours before the day you want lunch. e.g., If you want to change your order for Monday, please do so before midnight Saturday. If you want to change lunch for Tuesday, please do so before midnight Sunday.
Meals can be changed as often or as little as you please, whenever you want.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHANGE YOUR CHILD’s ORDER REGULARLY TO KEEP THEM ENGAGED.
How does food arrive?
Each is given a compostable box with their name, class and order on it.
These individual boxes are delivered directly to their classroom at lunch time.
Each child is given a compostable fork and napkin to help them eat.
Once they have finished their meal, the empty containers are sent home in a free BPA container for you to review and adjust their evening meal needs accordingly.
These meals are not to be reheated! The meals are sent home for you to monitor your child’s eating habits, adjust their ordering and compost (food, packaging and bamboo fork can all go in the brown compost bin) the left overs.
Please ensure you send this waste box into school each day.
What do I need to send to school for my child to eat/drink?
Children are given a free hot meal for their ‘big lunch’.
We advise that you keep their morning snack to a minimum to ensure they are hungry enough to now begin to eat a hot meal midday. Please ensure you also send a drink. Parents have the option of ordering and paying for additional items (drinks or snacks/fruit) for small break or for those staying on for after school activities. These can be paid for on the app, and will be delivered to your child in the classroom in the morning.
What if I forget to order?
A default order is sent to all children for the first few days until families change their order as they so wish. If you forget to order, a selection of firm favourites will be on hand to ensure no child goes hungry. However, we do encourage you to take a few moments each week to plan your child’s lunch with their input, as a hot meal during the day has been proven to increase mood, attention, and digestion – but we really want parent and child approval too!
What if my child does not like the food?
As a school meal specialist for the past 5 years, The Lunch Bag has encountered every taste bud imaginable! We firmly believe there is a meal to suit every child – from plain eaters to adventurous palates – and we offer all. Furthermore, we receive great feedback from families stating their kids are now tasting lots of new meals as they are experiencing them in a positive peer environment and at a point in the day when their hunger is peak – so do consider trialing new meals they haven’t tried before.
What if my child has an allergen?
When you register your child on the app, you will be asked to add any allergen they may have. Once completed, any meal containing that allergen will be removed from your menu. Meals containing allergens are prepared in an allergen specific area.
The Lunch Bag is a 100% nut free facility.
Dietary/cultural requirements
If you require detailed dietary information due to health grounds, you can email info@thelunchbag.ie to receive these. These are available to view on The Lunch Bag website.
All meals have an option for halal meat.
How do I know the food is high quality?
The Lunch Bag has a reputation for outstanding food quality from over 600 schools and 100,000 children nationwide.
The fresh food is sourced from the highest quality providers nationwide and is subject to frequent inspections from the Environmental Health Officers.
Their highest badge of honour however comes from the fact that their own children and staff eat this food daily – and love it!
All meals are made in line with Healthy Ireland Guidelines and portioned in line with same.
If there is any aspect of the food you are unhappy with, a feedback section on the app will allow you to contact them directly.
Where is the food made?
All food is prepped in our state-of-the-art facility in Nenagh Co Tipperary by a team of highly trained staff. All are trained to HACCP level 3 at a minimum.
Website Info:
Visit the website here: https://www.thelunchbag.ie/
More Information
Click here for Introduction to the Lunchbag for Parents