OXFORDSHIRE’s flagship school meal system could be run by a private company.

Food With Thought was set up by the county council in 2006 to provide youngsters with nutritious food and has increased the uptake of school meals from 19 per cent to 33 per cent.

Its surplus – set to hit £900,000 this year – is reinvested in refitting school kitchens. But now the service, which serves 1.25 million meals to primary school children each year, could be sold to a facilities company under a new contract to maintain council buildings.

Bidders for Oxfordshire County Council’s Property and Facilities contract can include Food With Thought as part of the services they would provide.

The council said Food With Thought’s surplus is at greater risk than it appears, and privatisation could guarantee future investment and improvement.

Councillors insist a private contractor would have to meet the same nutritional standards, although opponents fear profits will be hived off to shareholders and the food will get worse.

West Oxford Community Primary School’s canteen has been refurbished through Food With Thought, and 120 of the 200 pupils now eat school dinners.

Headteacher Julie St Clair Hoare said: “My main concern is if people are trying to make a profit, that becomes the priority over nutrition and children’s wellbeing. We think a private company would be making money on behalf of schools but not putting it back into them.”

And Food With Thought support worker Carol Freeman said that a private contractor could not improve on the service already being offered.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jean Fooks said Food With Thought’s business plan showed targets to improve take-up to 50 per cent over three years and suggested expanding the service to secondary schools and neighbouring counties.

But the county council said £500,000 of the £900,000 surplus came from a Government grant.

The money is not guaranteed into the future, while much of the remaining £400,000 surplus relies on a high take-up in a handful of big schools.

Schools are free to pull out of the service, which the council fears could put the surplus at risk.

The councillor responsible for school improvement, Melinda Tilley, insisted no decision had been taken.

She said: “Whatever happens, we have got to keep the service as it is.If it does go out to a private contractor ...we would make sure the quality is maintained, if not improved.”

Summertown food writer and broadcaster Sophie Grigson said the quality of the school dinners would depend on which company took over the contract.

She said: “It would be a tragedy if all the work that has been done over the past few years were undone.”