The catering arm of a London council that led the charge for universal free school meals has posted a £1.4 million loss amid soaring costs.
Accounts for Juniper Ventures Limited, set up by Newham Council in 2017, declare the borough’s meal service the “front-running example of a high impact primary school meals ‘ecosystem’”.
The borough has had a universal free school meals offer since 2011, but new figures reveal how “rocketing inflation in the supply chain” drove the company from a £38,000 profit in 2021-22 to a £1.4 million loss last year.
The loss would have been more than £1.6 million but was offset by a profit made by Juniper Pursuits Limited, a subsidiary of Juniper Ventures.
