Pupils could be eating elsewhere due to the price of lunches

Clair Coyle, from West Dunbartonshire Foodshare, says she has been contacted by multiple households looking for emergency food as families who miss the threshold for free school meals are spending up to £60 a month per child on lunches.

She said: "We are finding that a lot of the households contacting us for emergency food are families who just miss the threshold.

"They're only just missing it by maybe a pound or two. So it's not as if they've got a lot more money.

"Historically it would be people who were on benefits, who struggled financially, but there's lots and lots of working families contact us who are going through a terrible time at the moment."

We previously revealed that West Dunbartonshire schools charge the second-highest price in Scotland at £3.04 for both primary and secondary lunches.

All children in primary one to five are automatically entitled to free school meals.

The council have said their prices are 'significantly lower' than the cost of providing the service and that the uptake in free school meals is as little as 35 per cent in some schools.

Clair says families could be forking out over £60 per child every month. (Image: Gordon Terris) Clair worries pupils could be steering away from canteen meals as prices in nearby supermarkets and cafes may offer cheaper meals for families.

She added: "There is a push for more high school kids to be using the school canteen rather than going out and about. It would be more of an incentive if it was at a better cost.

"Some high school kids might not use their ticket because they want to go out with their friends at lunch.

"If this is what the cost of our school lunches are then I would imagine if you go and get a roll and a drink it could be cheaper outside of school.

"For two kids you're talking over £100 a month, where are folk finding this money from?"

A West Dunbartonshire Council spokesperson said: "Our healthy two-course meals are prepared freshly in schools each day and fully meet the Scottish Government’s nutritional requirements for food and drink in schools.

"The price charged for each meal is significantly lower than the cost of providing the service.

“Within West Dunbartonshire, 68 per cent of school meals are provided free of charge however uptake on entitlement for free school meals is as low as 35 per cent in some of our schools.

"Increasing this figure to ensure our families are accessing this support is a key focus for us in 2025/26.”