Latest news with #non-DEIS
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Cork restaurant to face its toughest critics yet as it expands into school lunches
Cork-based food business Seventy Seven has announced the expansion of its operations into the Hot School Meals sector, delivering freshly prepared, nutritious lunches to schools across Cork City while creating local jobs and strengthening links with the city's iconic suppliers. The group, which feeds hundreds of people each week in Dwyers and in Seventy Seven on Grand Parade (formerly Soho), now wants to expand its business to feed the next generation, ensuring children have access to healthy, delicious meals every school day. Prepared daily in Seventy Seven's city-centre kitchen, the new school meal service uses ingredients sourced directly from local producers in the English Market and trusted Cork suppliers. Schools can choose between fresh and hot meals, delivered ready to serve immediately before lunch, or meals that can be delivered in the morning and reheated before serving, which the group says will be 'ideal for staggered lunch breaks'. 'This expansion is about taking what we already do best, making fresh, local food and bringing it into Cork's classrooms,' said Rory Murphy, Director at Seventy Seven. 'We're proud to create more jobs here in Cork while continuing to support the local suppliers we've worked with for years.' 'As the government tightens nutritional standards, we are fully aligned with those ambitions and look forward to contributing to the positive impact of this programme,' said Tara Lying, Director at Seventy Seven. The meals are free from sulphur dioxide and artificial preservatives, meeting high food safety standards and catering to pupils with allergies. Menus are nutritionist-approved, offering a balanced and varied selection of options, including vegetarian and special diet alternatives. The group will also be preparing meals in their own Cork-based kitchens, instead of relying on industrial-scale kitchens, ensuring that the quality remains high through every meal. By sourcing from the English Market and other local food producers, Seventy Seven says that it wants to ensure spending stays within the Cork economy — supporting independent butchers, bakers, farmers, and suppliers. The expansion will also bring new employment opportunities for chefs, kitchen assistants, and delivery drivers. The news comes after an announcement earlier this year that the hot meal scheme will now be rolled out across all non-DEIS, as well as DEIS schools, for the coming academic year, with the Government estimating a €62 million investment in the project. Funding will be provided to the schools, which are then free to choose a supplier, in accordance with national legislation and EU directives on procurement. It opens the market for independent school lunch suppliers to enter the market, or, like Seventy Seven, a restaurateur who wants to expand into their market. Needless to say, the children's menu will contain more than chicken and chips for school goers next year!
Irish Independent
18-06-2025
- Irish Independent
The Big Tech Show: When is it okay to ignore a text from your boss?
JJ Clarke, producer, joins host Adrian on this week's episode of The Big Tech Show. Research conducted by CyberSafeKids in 58 DEIS and non-DEIS schools found that 53% of eight-year-olds at DEIS schools own a smartphone compared to just 22% in non-DEIS schools. The study surveyed 5,000 children. The research found that 93% of eight-year-olds from DEIS schools have created a social media account, with almost a third of 8- to 12-year-olds in DEIS schools having posted videos of themselves online. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.
