Picture of vegetables

Food

It’s estimated that a third of human produced greenhouse gases are linked to food. What we eat affects our health and the health of the planet.

We learn many of our eating habits as children which we will take with us through our lives. Schools have a responsibility in moulding good eating habits in our children.

School food gets a lot of bad press. Schools can support their catering department to ensure children are receiving and enjoying healthy food. There are many campaigns to support schools to do this. Read on for links to support students, school staff, caterers, and parents to ensure school food is healthy food!

Food for life - Soil Association

Food for life programme

Schools can sign up to the Food for Life programme by the Soil association. The Food for Life Schools Award is a framework for schools to teach children about food and where it comes from.

By completing actions, you’ll use food to enhance your leadership, enrich the curriculum, build community links and transform your dining environment. Pupils at Food for Life schools learn how to cook, grow and eat fresh, healthy food that’s good for them and the planet.

Healthy Schools Partnership

Healthy Schools Status

Achieve Healthy Schools Status by completing a School Health Check. Contact your ESCC Public Health team for advice.

Lewes District Food Partnership

Lewes District Food Partnership

The Lewes District Food Partnership along with Food Partnerships in towns across the country work to create a better food system. Join the LDFP school food subgroup consisting of school staff and local passionate people who are working to create a good food culture in schools.

LDFP can also signpost you to advice and sometimes funding or volunteers to enable good food things to happen in your school.

Visit our Waste page for information about food waste and the Simpler Recycling legislation?

Wealden Food Partnership

Farm twinning project - Wealden Food Partnership

The Wealden Food Partnership’s farm twinning project – twinning schools in the area with local farms. The project can include visits to the farm and the farmer speaking to the students in school. If you are interested in getting involved, please email Helen Graham at Wealden Food Partnership – Helen.Graham@communityactioneastsussex.org.uk

Read about a farm twinning project by the Sustainable Food Trust

Good School Food Campaigns

The following charities and campaigns offer advice and resources to support a culture of good school food.

School Food Plan logo

The School Food Plan

Back in July 2013, after Jamie Oliver’s campaign highlighted the quality of school food in 2005, the Department for Education set out 17 actions to transform what children eat in schools and how they learn about food.

Although the vision back then isn’t quite yet the reality, there is more awareness of the importance of improving school food.

The School Food Plan website contains a wealth of information to support schools including School Food Standards guidance which was put in place at the time.

Chefs in schools

Chefs in Schools

Chefs in Schools support schools with practical advice and training, including for catering staff – to improve their food and food culture.

Good School Food Awards

Jamie Oliver's Good School Food Award

Jamie Oliver’s Good School Food Award

The Good School Food Awards celebrate the amazing catering teams, beautiful canteens, holiday programmes, campaigners and unsung heroes who go the extra mile every day to make sure Britain’s school children are well nourished – the heroes that make school food brilliant.

School Food Matters

School Food Matters

School Food Matters campaign for a better school food system. They support schools, local authorities and MATs to improve food in schools.

They teach children and young people about cooking, growing and enjoying food for their health and happiness.

The Food Foundation

The Food Foundation

If you are looking for a short video to explain why we need to improve school food, please watch this: The Food Foundation Young Food Ambassadors and Emma Thompson have released a video called ‘The Lunch They Deserve’ calling for the government to improve School Food Standards. Watch here.

The Food Foundation works to influence food policy and business practice to ensure everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet.

 

Rethink Food

Rethink Food

Rethink Food offers curriculum linked teaching resources to help students understand the connection between food, health, and sustainability – and empower them to make positive, practical changes.

BITE BACK

Bite Back 2030

Bite Back 2030 is a youth activist movement challenging a food system that’s been set up to fool us all.

From all over the country, they bring their stories and experiences to send a loud message to the food giants: fuel us, don’t fool us.