School Food Matters

In London, all primary children can access #FreeSchoolMeals - great for their health, wellbeing, and removing stigma. But in other towns and cities, kids are missing out on the nutrition they need to thrive, and “it’s not fair”. #SchoolFoodMatters Please watch & share our Two Cities film 👇 #FeedtheFuture #SayYes #SchoolFoodForAll #RightToFood #FoodJustice #SchoolFood #ChildHealth #FoodPolicy #CostOfLivingCrisis #LevellingUp #SchoolFoodReview

This #BlackHistoryMonth, we’re shining a light on Adejoké Bakare, the trailblazing Founder and Head Chef of Chishuru, a modern West African restaurant in London. She recently made history as the first black woman in the UK to earn a Michelin star! Read about her inspiring journey 👇 https://lnkd.in/eBfZ493N

📢 We’re #hiring! Join us in improving children’s access to healthy, sustainable #SchoolFood. We're seeking two new team members for a programme supporting nurseries, primaries, secondaries, and SEN schools in #Southwark. Find out more and apply here 👇 https://lnkd.in/dHFEGAmc 🔁 Plz share! #JobListing #JobOpening #JobTips #Hiring #HiringNow #NowHiring #JobOpportunity #JoinOurTeam #WorkWithUs #ChildHealth #FoodPolicy #HealthyEating #HealthInequalities

We’re #hiring for our #YoungMarketeers programme: 🌱 Gardener Project Officers (#Newcastle, #Sheffield, #Coventry) to organise/deliver food #growing in schools. 🌱 Project Coordinator to manage the programme across England. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dHFEGAmc  🙏 The National Lottery Community Fund 🔁 Plz share! #JobListing #JobOpening #JobTips #Hiring #HiringNow #NowHiring #JobOpportunity #JoinOurTeam #WorkWithUs #ChildHealth #FoodPolicy #HealthyEating #HealthInequalities

We were thrilled to launch our #CostOfASchoolMeal2024 report yesterday with an expert panel and vibrant discussion! 💬 Lots of interest, but we know not everyone could join the webinar - so here are the highlights 👇 https://lnkd.in/eqJQu9C7 #SchoolFood #SchoolFoodMatters #FreeSchoolMeals #SchoolFoodForAll #RightToFood #FoodJustice #ChildHealth #FoodPolicy #CostOfLivingCrisis #HealthInequalities #HealthyEating #LevellingUp 

School Food Matters launched a report on the Cost of a School Meal!!! Our new research funded by Impact on Urban Health finally answers the question: how much should a school meal cost? It highlights how investing just 63p more per school meal can have huge benefits for children’s health and learning, and provide stability across the sector. I had the pleasure of hosting the SFM webinar yesterday where we discussed report findings and recommendations. We heard from expert speakers including Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, Hunger Solutions Minnesota’s Leah Gardner, Brad Pearce from CATERed LTD, Oasis UK Founder Steve Chalke, the Deputy CEO of Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), Bethan Cullen, and Bremner & Co's Myles Bremner and Abigail Page. Leon Co-Founder Henry Dimbleby and TV Chef Tom Kerridge also joined us via video to share their thoughts and support for the report. Special thanks to the brilliant team who collaborated with us on this piece of work, including Bremner & Co and Cohesion Consulting , and to my School Food Matters team for pulling this event together. I am so proud of the cross-sector collaboration that made this possible and hope you will make time to read the report, watch the webinar and share with your networks! You can find our full report and webinar recording here:

The SchoolFood4Change DE initiative, in collaboration with School Food Matters, is hosting a three-part webinar series titled “Empowering Schools Through Food”. This series is designed to inspire and support city staff, educators, and school teachers in fostering healthier and more sustainable #food practices within schools. 🔍 Learn more about the single webinars at: https://lnkd.in/dZAzqJe7

Join our expert panel in less than an hour as we dive into the #CostOfASchoolMeal2024 report, #SchoolFood, #ChildHealth, and more! There's still time to register 👇 https://lnkd.in/eBpwttzG

Peers say they are appalled that #FreeSchoolMeals allowances often fall short of covering a nutritious meal and call for an urgent review of the funding rate. Our latest report backs this with a recommendation for a 63p per meal increase. Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/evRu7P-b

Experts have warned that school meals in England ‘urgently need’ Government investment and reform as new research reveals underfunding is compromising the quality and even pushing schools into deficit. The charity School Food Matters commissioned research to compare the Government’s allocated school meal funding with the actual costs of serving nutritious and sustainable meals. The report, which has backing from across the school food sector, found that the current funding rate of £2.53 per school meal is 63p below what is needed, making the ‘true cost’ £3.16. School Food Matters is hosting a webinar about the findings of the report on Thursday 24th October. School meal funding has not kept up with inflation, especially with rapid food and labour cost increases in recent years. This funding gap has contributed to the increased risk of pre-prepared and ultra-processed foods being used in schools. Some schools involved in the research also reported running deficit school meal budgets, having problems with staff recruitment, retention and development as well as a lack of investment in kitchen equipment. Smaller schools have faced some of the greatest challenges, with some even switching entirely to a packed lunch only offer. Read more>> https://lnkd.in/ebXUufnQ Stephanie Slater Bremner & Co Myles Bremner #publicfood #schoolfood