Caterers and local authorities have struck deals in three areas that could have been left without a school meals service in September.
Agreements were reached with catering firms to supply school meals in Kent,Bracknell Forest and Sheffield, once contracts were made more finacially viable.
Kent,which was forced to retender it's £9m-a-year deal after only 70 contracts were taken from an initial round of 405, has found five caterers - Scolarest, Eden Foodservice,Principals,Total Catering Solutions and Whole Achool Meals - To run the remaining schools.
Eden managing director Simon James said parents and the local authority would help fund the new deals. Meanwhile, parents will pay 20p more per meal (£1.65) in after independent Caterhouse thrashed out a three year deal. The contract which was previously run by Eden's forerunner Initial, recieved no bids when it first went out for tender last October because caterers believed it was wunworkable and needed more cash
Sheffield council has taken on Compass Group education division Scolarest after Initial and Sodexho pulled out of the running in May, citing concerns about profitiability.
The five year Sheffield deal, which was previously run by Serviceteam, will servicwe 137 schools and turn over £6m a year after the council agreed to subsidise the contract with part of the Governments £220m grant.
Food service consultant Vic Laws said that not all local authorities understood what was required from contractors to provide a high quality school meals service. He added : "The imporvements have been absorbed either by parents or local authorities. It shows there will be big problems after 2008 if the Government doesn't continue to support the service".