A DAD from from Worcestershire has said he was 'shocked and appalled' at an 'unusable' food parcel which was given to his daughter as part of the government's free school meal provision.

Kethelmir Palma's five-year-old daughter Dixie Palma attends Great Malvern Primary school.

Mr Palma, a chef who lives in Malvern with his daughter Dixie, step-daughter and fiancée, said: "I received a message from the school saying the food packages were ready to pick up.

"I went to my daughter's school yesterday to pick up her food pack for the week and I was shocked and appalled at what I found when I returned home.

"The contents of the pack doesn't even contain enough food to feed my daughter for two days.

"I'm not blaming the school because they are only following the guidelines of the government.

"Some of the food isn't even usable.

"The potatoes are sprouting, the carrots are already going black on the top, the plums have nail marks all over them and the orange is so soft that it looks like it's going over.

"This is not £15 worth of food. The government should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen."

The food parcels are being provided by the government following footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to ensure children across the country continue to receive free school meals during the holidays while the pandemic continues.

Councillor Marcus Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for education and skills - who has responded on behalf of Great Malvern Primary School, said: “We are continuing to work closely with our schools to make sure that every child who is eligible for free school meals has access to a good quality, nutritious meal during the school week.

"We welcome the newly published guidance from central Government on providing school meals during the coronavirus outbreak, and we will keep working with our schools to ensure they continue to implement the support that is best suited to their community.

"We have been made aware of some issues with the quality of food parcels being delivered to children from schools.

"We are currently working with these schools, their catering providers and the community to ensure children receive adequate quality free school meals."

Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, added: “Local mums have been in touch with me in Malvern and I am concerned to see that their childrens’ lunch parcels are well below the Government guidelines and funding.

“Schools do need to follow the guidance with their caterers to ensure that each child gets balanced food for five lunches each week.

“I’ve also contacted the Children’s Minister who also says that schools can offer local food vouchers and national vouchers from next week.”