A new survey about the Government's hot school meals programme has found that three-quarters of respondents reported their children do not enjoy the variety of food.
The survey, commissioned by Fine Gael, also found that parents were very critical of how the food is presented as well as the nutritional content.
There were are also concerns about the origin of ingredients used for the meals, including meat.
The survey ran from 6 January to 18 February and received almost 8,000 responses.
Only one-third of respondents considered the food nutritional, with many parents reporting that the school does not offer a cold food option.
This option was a preference as the survey found that most children would be more likely to eat a fresh cold lunch rather than the hot school meal.
93% of respondents said the programme was currently operating in their primary school.
However, three-quarters of respondents attributed perceived quality issues to the lack of centralised cooking and said leftover food was being sent home.
Most people also stated that more than half of the food provided is left uneaten.
Of the suppliers who responded to the survey, many said that providing hot and cold options was not economically viable due to reasons including transport and cooler box usage.
There were also issues for schools in terms of heating meals on site.
The scheme is due to be further rolled out in secondary schools but in the survey, suppliers emphasised that portion sizes for secondary students (approximately 450g) were significantly larger than for primary students (around 250g), and it was not feasible to deliver larger meals at lower prices.
Some primary schools, particularly those in rural areas, have had difficulties setting up the scheme.
Initial excitement about the scheme has also fallen since it was first implemented by former minister Regina Doherty in 2019 in 36 pilot schools, before it was rolled out further.
Since last September, there are 3,200 eligible schools in respect of 550,000 children.
The survey showed the highest drop off in demand for hot meals was in 5th class, with one supplier reporting that demand has decreased by 35% amid recent public debate.
In a statement, the Department of Social Protection said that a dietician seconded from the Department of Health is carrying out a review of school meal supplier menus and complaince with nutritional standards.
The department said that a full report will be finalised in the second quarter of the year.
It also said that clear nutritional standards have been in place for the programme since it began and that any concerns with the quality of food should be brought to attention of the principal or board of management at the school.
