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All primary school pupils in Wales are now able to receive free school meals after the Welsh Government completed its nation-wide rollout.

It means every child up to and including Year 6 are now eligible for a free meal every school day.

In 2021, the Welsh Government set out its aim to achieve this target by September 2024 in a bid to tackle child poverty.

Since its launch, the Welsh Government has said nearly 30 million meals have been served to date – with the new rollout entitling an extra 176,000 more pupils to free meals.

The rollout was completed in Caerphilly County Borough last September, a year ahead of the target.

First Minister Eluned Morgan described the completion of the rollout as a “momentous occasion for children”.

She continued: “I’m incredibly proud that Wales has become the first UK nation to offer free school meals to all primary pupils.”

Wales’ education secretary, Lynne Neagle, said: “We are ensuring that no primary school child will go hungry at school, and I am thankful for our local authorities and schools for helping to make this a reality.

“I have seen the difference that this offer has already made for children and families first-hand. This is an important step we have taken to tackle child poverty, and I will continue to work to make certain that we have the best school food offer in the UK.”

However, the implementation of the “uncosted” rollout drew criticism from the Welsh Conservatives.

Shadow education minister Tom Giffard said there had been “flaws in Labour’s delivery of the scheme” and criticised “low quality and small portion sizes due to councils struggling with Labour’s budget cuts”.