School lunch programme wastes millions despite savings

David Seymour continues to defend his revamp of the school lunch programme. (Image: NZME)

Wed, 17 Dec 2025

Schools are throwing out tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of Compass Group meals daily despite a sharp fall in orders under the revamped school lunch programme, newly released data suggest.Schools supplied by the Compass Group's School Lunch Collective (SLC) reported an average surplus of about 25% over a 10-day period last term, according to Ministry of Education data released under the Official Information Act (OIA). That equates to roughly 24,000 untouched lunches a day, costing about $80,000, at an average of $3.36 per mea...

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