70% of Brits would spend more than £4 on a meal deal as people call for beer, biscuits and sausage rolls to be added to menus

Mary’s Meals encourages the nation to change lives this lunchtime by matching their meal deal spend in donations to feed hungry children.

The meal deal has become a go-to staple at lunchtime for many people across the UK, however with international school feeding charity, Mary’s Meals, the price of a meal deal can feed more than just one hungry mouth.

Although the majority of big-name supermarkets offer budget meal deals for less than £4, a survey conducted on behalf of Mary’s Meals found that 70% of Brits are willing to spend even more on the lunchtime offering. But it appears that the classic sandwich, snack and drink combo doesn’t fully satisfy the nation’s love for the convenient lunch choice, as Brits call for beer, biscuits and sausage rolls to be added to the menu line-up.

However, the new menu additions face some fierce competition as 31% of respondents chose the humble sandwich as their favourite meal deal main, with the likes of chicken and bacon, BLT and prawn ranking top for best sandwich fillings. And with many food retailers now offering the popular lunch option, rivalry between who offers the best meal deal is often a hot topic. Taking a closer look at Britain’s favourite supermarket selection, 30% of consumers voted for Tesco as their number one pitstop at lunchtime, ahead of Sainsbury’s, Greggs and Waitrose.

Mary’s Meals, which was founded in a shed in the Scottish Highlands in 2002, serves nutritious school meals to more than 2.4 million children in 17 of the world’s poorest countries – including Ethiopia, Haiti and South Sudan. The promise of a daily meal attracts children into the classroom, where they can gain an education and grow up well-nourished and well-educated.

The charity’s latest campaign, Mary’s Meals Deals, encourages the public to help change the lives of the next generation by setting up a regular donation equivalent to the cost of a meal deal this lunchtime. For as little as £4, shoppers can ensure that 40 hungry children receive a nutritious school meal in their place of education, providing school, food and hope for the price of a sandwich, snack and a drink.

Out of 1,500 respondents to the survey, over 130 people said the maximum they would pay for a meal deal would be £3.50, with more than 1,000 willing to pay over £4. However, only 27% of respondents would pay more than £5 for the lunchtime deal.

The survey also highlighted calls for pizza, cake and doughnuts to be included as meal deal menu items alongside beer, biscuits and sausage rolls. Meanwhile, with the food-to-go market expected to grow by a whopping 40% by 2028 (1), it’s no surprise that the survey further revealed that 20% of Brits treat themselves to more than one meal deal a week.

The certainty of a regular donation equal to the cost of a meal deal gives Mary’s Meals the confidence to plan for the future and serve life-changing meals to children like Beyonce from Zimbabwe, who has had a challenging start to life after her mother abandoned both her and her elder sister when she was just a baby.

Beyonce attends Danckwerts Primary School, where before the introduction of the Mary’s Meals school feeding programme, she would sit separately from her peers at break. Her father was ashamed of how little he could afford to give her for lunchtime, so would tell Beyonce to go to a secluded place to eat so nobody else could see her meagre rations.

But lunchtimes are different now, as Beyonce sits laughing with her friends like many other young girls her age. Every day, she receives the same lunchtime meal as her classmates – a mug of fortified corn-soya porridge from Mary’s Meals, giving her the energy to concentrate on her studies and strive towards a brighter future.

Beyonce says: “I try my best at school. Education is important to me, I see it as an escape route from the way that my mother left me. I hope that one day I will be successful, I will help my father who has helped me since I was a toddler. I hope that one day I will also help other children and other people to have a better life.”

This year, any new regular gifts to Mary’s Meals will be matched by a generous donor, up to a value of £250,000, meaning the kindness of supporters will go twice as far.

Matt Barlow, Executive Director at Mary’s Meals, says: “A regular meal deal provides you with a sandwich, snack and drink. But Mary’s Meals Deals offers something different. School, food and hope for children in some of the world’s poorest countries.

“By setting up a regular gift of just £4 to Mary’s Meals, we can deliver the promise and security of a daily school meal to more children, like Beyonce, while striving to reach the next hungry child waiting. Help us unlock all of the funding available and change lives this lunchtime by setting up your regular gift today.”

To find out more about Mary’s Meals Deals and how to set up a regular donation, please visit www.marysmeals.org.uk/meal-deal

1. Meal deal madness: food-to-go market expected to grow by 40% by 2028 | AHDB