THE cost of meals for primary school children in North Yorkshire is to be pegged - in an effort to help financially hard-pressed families.

The price of a school dinner is to be frozen at £2.10 a day - but the county council has pledged that, despite the move, it will continue to improve the quality of the food served up.

It means that prices of primary school meals in North Yorkshire have increased by five per cent over the last three years, below the level of food inflation.

However the sibling discount scheme - introduced to help families with more than one child at school - will cease at the end of this term.

The authority was given permission by the Government to run the discount scheme when their catering service was facing increased costs and the approval was for three years only.

The county council’s executive member for schools, Arthur Barker, said “We are only too aware of the financial pressures families are under at the present time.

“Despite the county council’s economic challenges, which require millions of pounds worth of savings to be found, members are determined that school meals should be affordable and offer good value for money, so that all children have the opportunity to have a nutritious meal in the middle of the day.”

He added: “Good nutrition is essential to children’s health and well being and their ability to make the most of their learning.

“We are proud of our drive to deliver high quality meals to North Yorkshire’s children, which is why, despite the freeze on the price of a meal, we continue to drive quality upwards and improve the standards of the produce used.”

Only fresh meat and poultry is used in the county’s school dinners and all of it is sourced in Yorkshire.

Half of all fruit and vegetables are also sourced from the north of England with plans to increase the percentage in coming years. All eggs are free range and also produced in Yorkshire.