Organisations rally to support new school food standards with £2.3 million implementation fund

School food organisations rally to support new school food standards with £2.3 million implementation fund

Today, the government has announced updated school food standards, which is the first time they have been reviewed since 2015.

A coalition of school food organisations have formed the School Food Project, raising £2.3 million to support schools to implement the new standards by 2027.

The proposed new school food standards, under consultation from today, include measures to serve more fruit and veg and up fibre intake, refocusing menus on freshly prepared dishes that will nourish and fill children up, rather than wasting precious budget on highly processed foods that contain little nutritional value.

Alongside introducing ambitious new standards, the government has also announced plans for  universal robust compliance and monitoring from September 2027 - because we have seen standards alone aren’t enough, they need to be enforced.

Five of the UK’s leading food and education organisations, Bite Back, Chefs in Schools, Jamie Oliver Group, School Food Matters and The Food Foundation have joined forces to form the School Food Project.

The groundbreaking partnership will support schools to transform school food within budget, improve food education and serve delicious meals to students up and down the country. The programme of support will kick off from September 2026 to coincide with the government's new standards being finalised and published.

The partnership is funded by philanthropic foundations including the Henry Smith Foundation, the Christopher and Henry Oldfield Trust, the Ampney Brook Foundation and Macdoch Foundation, and has so far raised £2.3m.

The Food Foundation has today published a new report that shows how raising the quality of school food leads to increased uptake if done well. The report looks at case studies of schools from across the country who are achieving great things within budget.

Across every school studied, making food healthier increased uptake, in one case from as low as 28% to as high as 90%. The Chefs in Schools programme of menu support has also previously shown across their partner schools 88% reported an increase in lunch consumption, including more fruit and veg and trying new foods.

Evidence also shows that good school food leads to improved attainment, behaviour and physical and mental health, especially for children from low income backgrounds and previous Chefs in Schools research found that 96% of parents say it’s important that school meals are fresh and nutritious.

The launch of the school food standards consultation and the announcement of the School Food Project come at a pivotal time for school food. From today, over 500 more Free Breakfast Clubs are opening across the country, and  all children in England from families receiving Universal Credit will be eligible for Free School Meals from September, benefiting over half a million additional pupils.

This represents a unique opportunity to directly improve children’s diets at national scale, embed food education into the school day and make school food a source of national pride. The School Food Project’s holistic programme of support aims to turbo charge the government's new policy commitments and make sure they deliver real impact on children’s lives.

This will include free training for school chefs, the setting up of Beacon Schools across the country, centres of excellence in school food and food education, and the launch of the School Food Project Hub, an online resource offering an array of practical support for caterers, chefs and the wider school community.

This coalition of school food heavyweights will use their expertise from across the sector to drive forward a major national movement.

• Bite Back will ensure the voices and opinions of young people are front and centre of the campaign, sharing pupils’ first-hand experiences, stories and desire for change. The Bite Back in Schools programme will also empower pupils to lead change and champion good food in their schools, including for the first time, stepping into primary schools and empowering school councils.
• Chefs in Schools will work directly with schools to transform food culture by working alongside catering teams to elevate food quality, develop skills, improve nutrition and deliver a daily food education. The charity is also building and running an online hub including resources and guidance for schools, parents and caterers.
• Jamie Oliver Group will offer every school the chance to take part in Jamie Oliver’s 10 Skills programme. This brings together Jamie’s love, knowledge and experience into ten simple, foundational skills so that every child can leave KS3 education, being able to cook from scratch, budget properly and empowered with nutritional knowledge.
• School Food Matters will deliver Young Marketeers, its flagship food education programme to get young people growing fruit and veg, and its award-winning Nourish programme to create food cultures in schools that put children and young people's nutrition first.
• The Food Foundation will lead on the public campaign, with support from renowned creative agency BBH. It will show what good school food can look like, monitor and evaluate progress and build on years of campaigning for better access to nutritious school food, including leading #FeedtheFuture and #EndChildFoodPoverty campaigns.

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation, said: "With government announcing higher school food standards, which will also be monitored, and rolling out universal breakfast clubs and wider access to Free School Meals, the huge potential of school food to nourish and energise the next generation is finally being recognised.

"This must be the moment the whole sector pulls together to make school food delicious and nutritious, and embed food education into the school day.

"We have a unique opportunity to initiate a seismic shift in child health, and we are excited to drive this forward with our partners at the School Food Project."

Henry Dimbleby, former government food tsar, author of the Independent National Food Strategy said: "Today we have a rare chance to reset school food: wider access to Free School Meals, higher standards - with proper monitoring to help schools improve what ends up on the plate.

"September can mark the start of a new normal, where every child can count on a lunch that is both delicious and nutritious, and every parent can have real confidence in what’s being served.

"Done right it will boost children’s health, their academic outcomes and their chances of success in later life. But it will only work if the government sticks to the timetable set out today - and if schools and caterers are backed to deliver, and held to it."

Jamie Oliver, Chef and Campaigner said: "Twenty years ago, dog food had higher standards than school dinners. I’ve been banging the drum ever since because I refuse to accept our kids being fed anything less than proper, nourishing meals.

"School food is the UK’s most important restaurant chain. From September, during term-time schools will provide two-thirds of a child's daily diet - a massive opportunity to improve health at scale. My Good School Food Awards prove that world-class meals are possible right now, and every child deserves that same quality.

"So, I’m delighted the government is finally updating and enforcing these standards. Through the School Food Project, we’ll be right there supporting schools to deliver the amazing food and education our kids need."

Shalom, 17, a Bite Back youth campaigner, said: "School food affects everything for young people - our focus, our energy, our health and how we feel in the classroom.

"When something as basic as lunch depends on money, time or what’s available, it stops school being a level playing field. For some students, it’s the only proper meal they’ll have all day, so it needs to be affordable, filling and nutritious.

"Too often, decisions about school food are made without listening to students, and that’s why the system isn’t working.

"With the cost of living rising and more attention on young people’s health, this is the moment to get it right. If we want better outcomes and fairer opportunities, we need to take school food seriously — and start by listening to young people."

Stephanie Slater MBE, founder and CEO of School Food Matters, said: "This is a truly exciting moment for school food. Government’s move to update the school food standards will strengthen the extension of Free School Meals and the continued roll-out of universal primary breakfast clubs.

"This has the potential to revolutionise access to delicious, nutritious and sustainable food for children and young people across the country.

"We’re proud to be part of the School Food Project, working in partnership to help schools turn government ambition into reality.

"Through our Young Marketeers programme, we’ll introduce children to the joys of growing fresh fruit and vegetables, and our Nourish programme will support schools to take a whole school approach to food, creating lasting change in school food culture and putting children’s nutrition and wellbeing first."

Naomi Duncan, Chief Executive at Chefs in Schools, said: "We welcome this consultation as a sign that this Government recognises the wider benefits of feeding children well in school.

"Every child should have access to good quality food during the school day, and for the 2.2 million children living in food insecure households, a good meal at school can be a crucial part of their daily nutrition.

"Improving what is served in schools, alongside extending entitlement to free meals, sets the conditions for all children to have consistent access to a nutritious meal each day.

"The School Food Standards are long overdue an update. These proposals would raise nutritional quality, while giving schools flexibility to deliver within tight budgets.

"Billions of pounds of public money are spent on school food each year, so it is right that there are high expectations about what is being provided.

"Our polling shows that parents, across all regions and income groups, want school food to be good quality and of a standard they can trust. Stronger standards, enforced properly, can make that achievable."

William Sieghart, Chair Henry Smith Foundation, said: "I’m proud that philanthropists have united behind The School Food Project. Together, we’re turning policy into action - delivering change at scale and improving children’s lives now.

"After all, what could be more important than feeding children well so they can thrive?" 

Thomasina Miers, Wahaca co-founder, Masterchef winner, and Chefs in Schools Trustee said: "In the schools I've visited, I've seen children eagerly eating food that would hold its own in any restaurant - made from scratch, with skill and care, on a school budget.

"This is not a pipe dream. It's happening right now. The School Food Project exists to make sure every child gets that - not just the lucky ones. Kids are our future. Let's feed them like it."
 

NOTES TO EDITORS

Please contact: Juliet Grant, Senior Communications Manager, The Food Foundation, on 07929 075489 or email juliet.grant@foodfoundation.org.uk

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Interviews with partners, headteachers, school cooks, young people available on request

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About the School Food Project
School Food Project is on a mission to support schools to transform the quality of school food and food education. Funded by a group of philanthropic foundations led by the Henry Smith Foundation, the project will be delivered by a coalition of organisations with expertise in delivering outstanding food and food education including Bite Back, School Food Matters, Chefs in Schools, The Food Foundation and the Jamie Oliver Group. This independent initiative is working to turbo-charge new policy commitments to expand free school meals and improve school food standards. Together, we are driving lasting change so that every child, in every state school, has access to nutritious food, impactful food education, and the opportunity to thrive, now and in the future.

About The Food Foundation
The Food Foundation is a charity working to influence food policy and business practice, shaping a sustainable food system which makes healthy diets affordable and accessible for all. We work in partnership with researchers, campaigners, community bodies, industry, investors, government and citizens to galvanise the UK’s diverse agents of change, using surprising and inventive ideas to drive fundamental shifts in our food system. These efforts are based on the continual re-evaluation of opportunities for action, building and synthesising strong evidence, convening powerful coalitions, harnessing citizens’ voices and delivering impactful communications.
Registered Charity Number 1187611.

About Chefs In Schools
Chefs in Schools was established in June 2018 with the aim of transforming food, food culture and food education in schools through training, guidance and support. It’s a fast-growing, solutions-focused charity, targeting areas with high levels of socio-economic deprivation, aiming to improve child health. To date, it’s helped well over 100,000 children to access better school food. The charity also campaigns for lasting reforms to improve school food. It’s backed by some of the country’s leading food influencers, including Prue Leith, Thomasina Miers and Yotam Ottolenghi, and has worked alongside Jamie Oliver to improve school food. It’s won numerous awards, including the Urban Food Awards Children’s Food Champion 2020, Third Sector Big Impact & Charity Partnership of the Year Award 2021, the BBC Food & Farming Outstanding Achievement Award 2023 and one of CODE’s Happiest Places to Work in 2024. The charity was co-founded by Henry Dimbleby - co-author of the School Food Plan and author of the National Food Strategy, Nicole Pisani - former Head Chef at NOPI, and Louise Nichols - Executive Head Teacher of the Leap Federation of Schools.

About School Food Matters
At School Food Matters we believe that school food can unlock a happier, healthier, more sustainable future for every child. We want a school food system that delivers for all children, so they can enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food and leave school with an informed and positive relationship with food. To achieve this, we campaign for a better school food system, bringing the voices of children, parents, and teachers to government policy, and deliver fully funded food education programmes in schools across the country.