The Green Party has proposed every student in the State gets at least one hot meal during the school day in an attempt to address child obesity and food poverty.

Its ‘School Dinners Policy’, costing some €350 million a year to implement, would involve a subsidy of about €2.50 a day from parents for a hot meal for their child.

The proposal, announced in Thornton’s Restaurant in Dublin yesterday, may also involve lengthening the school day at primary level to fit in alongside the designated curriculum.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said teachers would not be expected to supervise children during this period and a longer school day “may be of particular benefit for parents working outside the home”.

The food used would be sourced from local farmers where possible in order to encourage less dependency on imports.

If schools did not have their own kitchens, the meals could be prepared and cooked in “central facilities approved of by local authorities and schools”, he said.

Mr Ryan said the initiative would generate hundreds of jobs for people such as farmers, food distributors, caterers, drivers and canteen supervisors.

Asked if the idea would be a red-line issue if the party was to re-enter government, he said he believed it could win cross-party support.

“This is the sort of initiative that makes sense,” he said. “I’d love to see what party doesn’t agree with it, and sit down with them and hear them explain why this isn’t a good idea. I’m very confident that in any government negotiations you could talk about this.”

Chef Kevin Thornton supports the proposal. “Food is an essential part of our lives,” he said. “If you eat good food, you feel happy. If you eat rubbish food, you don’t feel anything. It’s all about education and that has to start at the beginning.”

Green Party deputy leader Cllr Catherine Martin said the State was facing a “public- health time-bomb” as 300,000 children are overweight or obese.