School food standards unviable unless government addresses funding and operational challenges facing schools and caterers

This was the warning that came from leading voices from across the education catering sector during Arena’s Feeding the Future: Rethinking Catering in Education event in London, where operators, suppliers, wholesalers and sector experts gathered to discuss the future of school food and the growing pressures facing the sector.

While delegates were united in supporting efforts to improve children’s health and nutrition, concerns were raised that policy ambitions are increasingly outpacing the financial and practical realities of delivering school meals.

Education caterers are now expected to deliver far more than food alone. Alongside providing nutritious meals, operators are supporting allergen management, sustainability objectives, food education, social value programmes and wider pupil wellbeing, all while operating within tight financial constraints.

Deborah Batchelor, MD of Stir Food, said: “Ultimately, our goal is the same as government’s: to help children eat well and develop healthy habits for life. But the most nutritious meal is the one that children actually choose to eat. School food standards must balance nutritional ambition with the practical realities of school catering and the preferences of pupils, because if uptake falls, everyone loses.

“The education catering sector fully supports the ambition to improve children’s health and nutrition, but we cannot ignore the reality facing school caterers. Providers are being asked to deliver more than ever before, from nutrition and allergen management to sustainability, social value and food education, all within increasingly constrained budgets.

“There is a growing disconnect between what government wants schools and caterers to achieve and the resources available to deliver it. If new school food standards are to succeed, they must be backed by sustainable funding, realistic implementation timescales and genuine collaboration with the sector.”

The discussion highlighted the vital role school meals play in supporting children’s health, wellbeing and educational attainment. For many pupils, school lunches provide a reliable source of nutrition and an important part of the wider support network offered by schools.

Tracey Smith, CEO Schools & Universities at Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “School meals are about far more than food. Every day, catering teams support children’s wellbeing, learning and development, often becoming trusted members of the wider school community.

“The sector has demonstrated its ability to innovate and adapt, but meaningful improvements to school food standards can only be achieved when operators are given the resources and support needed to deliver them consistently across every school environment.”

Industry leaders also raised concerns about the practical implications of implementing new standards. Secondary school catering, in particular, depends on high-volume service models capable of feeding large numbers of pupils within short lunch periods. Speakers stressed that any future standards must reflect how schools operate in practice if they are to achieve their intended outcomes.

Meg Hughes, Director of Nutrition and Sustainability at Compass Education, said: “The ambition behind improving school food standards is absolutely the right one. Better nutrition supports better health outcomes, improved concentration and long-term wellbeing.

“However, any changes must recognise the complexity of delivering meals at scale. Whilst we have already made great progress on menu reformulation, it takes time to engage supply chains and ensure changes are practical, achievable and appealing to the children and young people we serve.”

Panellists also highlighted the risk of unintended consequences if stricter nutritional requirements are introduced without considering competition from packed lunches and food purchased outside school. They warned that measures which reduce participation in school meals could ultimately undermine the health outcomes they are intended to improve.

Luke Consiglio, Founder and CEO of The Pantry, said: “Over the last decade, the sector has worked incredibly hard to improve both the quality of school meals and children’s perceptions of them. We have made real progress in increasing uptake and encouraging healthier choices.

“The concern is that without adequate funding and sensible implementation, that progress could be undermined. There is no value in creating standards that look good on paper if they ultimately reduce participation and result in fewer children eating school meals.”

The event also explored the wider challenges facing education catering, including food inflation, labour shortages, changing regulations and increasing expectations around sustainability and social value.

Nicola Knight, the panel host at the event, and Head of Away From Home at IGD, said: “Education catering sits at the intersection of public health, education and foodservice. It is a sector serving more than a billion meals a year while operating within some of the most challenging financial and operational constraints in the market.

“The discussions at Feeding the Future highlighted the importance of bringing government, operators, suppliers and schools together to ensure future policy delivers positive outcomes for children while remaining workable and sustainable for the sector.”

Despite the challenges, speakers agreed that the sector remains committed to improving children’s diets and supporting healthier eating habits. However, they concluded that future reforms must be accompanied by realistic funding, practical implementation plans and meaningful engagement with those responsible for delivering school meals every day.

Batchelor concluded: “The sector is not asking for lower ambition. We are asking for ambition that is matched by investment, planning and partnership. School meals are one of the most effective interventions available to support children’s health and educational attainment, but success will depend on government working with the sector to ensure those ambitions can be delivered in practice.”