More than 100 schools serving the most disadvantaged communities cannot serve food to pupils in need, because they don't have the facilities and personnel.
Eight hundred and 50 DEIS schools in total qualify for 40 million euro this year under the School Meals Programme.
The Healthy Food For All conference wants once-off funding of half a million euro to ensure these schools are able to provide meals to disadvantaged children.
Sinead Keenan is the Co-ordinator of the Healthy Food For All project:
