Parents at two North Island schools have been asked to pack extra food for their children after some new school meals didn’t turn up and others were regarded as too small.

The contractor behind the Healthy School Lunches programme – The School Lunch Collective, led by British company Compass Group – again blamed “teething problems” and said this morning they’re speaking with schools to fix the problem.

Last week, principals reported buying food from supermarkets to feed hungry students and having to disrupt afternoon classes to ensure “bland” late-arriving meals did not go to waste.

A mum of two pupils at Taupō’s Mount View School who wished to remain anonymous told the Herald the school notified the parents before 3pm that the promised lunches had not turned up.

She usually sends her children to school with just a snack but made homemade lunches after reading about earlier problems.

When she went to pick up her children when school finished, they told her the lunches had not arrived and they had shared their packed food with other children.

“The staff had done what they could but there would be some hungry kids coming home,” she said.

In a message to Mount View School parents, the school said the Ministry of Education “had failed to deliver lunches to schools to Taupō as promised”.

“Although the staff have given extra snacks to students throughout the day, this, unfortunately, means you may have hungry children arrive home that will need more kai.

“We have been advised by the Ministry of Education that lunches will be delivered tomorrow however you may want to pack extra kai as a precaution.”

“I didn’t have hungry kids, but there are definitely hungry kids at the school,” the woman said.

“I saw on Facebook in Tūrangi that they did turn up, but didn’t turn up until 4pm. The person said they were still hot so we’re going to put them in the Pataka Kai.”

Staff members at Waikato’s Maeroa Intermediate School also faced a problem today when lunches for students with special dietary needs did not arrive.

In a post on the school’s Facebook page, school staff rallied to feed the students with missing lunches.

“It is unlikely that our lunches for students with special dietary needs will turn up this week so a plan has been devised to ensure these students receive their lunches too.”

School staff also suggested parents pack extra food for the pupils because they have noticed “lunches are quite small”.

“It would be a good idea for parents/caregivers to send some fruit or an extra sandwich in their child’s lunchbox.

“Check with your child whether they think they had enough lunch or not, and if not then please give them some additional food for them to eat at school.”

The Ministry of Education referred comment to Compass Group.

There have been “teething problems” in the first days of the school lunches programme, the company’s managing director Paul Harvey said.

“We apologise to the schools and students affected by this, and are in contact with them to address these early challenges.

We appreciate the patience and support they have given so far."

With more than 127,000 meals being sent around the country every school day, they were “learning each day”, Harvey said.

“[We] are committed to supporting students education through the Healthy School Lunches Programme.”

David Williams is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.