Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, who has headed up Education, Sport & Culture since 2020, is planning to stand again and hopes to keep her presidential seat.
And she would like to introduce school dinners for young islanders, if she gets that second term in charge.
‘This is the time to talk about this issue,’ she said.
‘We can see there is a growing divide between those who have the means, and those who don’t.’
The comments come after the latest Guernsey Child Measurement Programme showed that one in five Year 1 pupils and one in four in Year 5 were overweight. But those at States schools were much more likely to be overweight than those at fee-paying schools.
Primary school lunches have already been rolled out in Jersey, using caterers.
Deputy Dudley-Owen met with the Jersey minister recently, and that helped her realise that the idea could be feasible here.
‘It is something we had thought about, as we knew about the benefits, but it was the feasibility,’ she said.
Jersey has operated by using suppliers and pop-up canteens, which meant there was no need for expensive building projects.
‘That is very do-able,’ Deputy Dudley-Owen said.
Jersey has set the price at £2.50 per meal, with free meals for those who were eligible. Deputy Dudley-Owen said they would need to price up their own proposal, but she hoped the cost would be similar. There is no timeline yet, but Deputy Dudley-Owen was hopeful there would be an uplift in the 2026 Education budget, which would help cover the costs. That might allow the scheme to start for the 2026 school year.
She said the meals would help with social habits, but also ensure children had a nutritious meal, when parents had a lot on their plate.
She said while many might be packing a packet of crisps, a ham sandwich, a chocolate biscuit and an apple, that was not necessarily a balanced meal, with sugar and other additives. And as well as keeping children healthy, better diets would also improve behaviour and can have long-term benefits.
Guernsey secondary schools have canteens, and in England primary school canteens are common, with free school meals for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
But Deputy Dudley-Owen said the growth of Guernsey’s schools – many of which were historically parish based – meant children went home for lunch, and in the post-war era, when the modern education system was taking shape, providing school lunches to younger pupils was not a priority.
An ESC spokeswoman said that all schools followed the Food in Guernsey School policy, which promotes and supports the health and wellbeing of all members of school and college communities. The Health Improvement Commission also works closely with schools to support schools with the promotion of healthy eating.
‘The whole topic of healthy eating is a complex one and should be viewed as a whole-community issue, rather than a school-based issue,’ she said.
‘Research shows that healthy eating and access to good, nutritious food is largely driven by the socio-economic status of individual families.’
There are limits on what can be in packed lunched, with fizzy drinks and sweets not allowed.
From September 2025, all primary schools will be providing breakfast clubs, providing a healthy meal for children to start their day.
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