In January 2025, St Winefride’s CV Academy made big steps towards transforming the food environment in their school. By beginning their Food for Life (FFL) journey and establishing an onsite Forest School, staff set out to create a nurturing environment where children could connect with nature, develop a deeper understanding of the natural world, and understand where their food comes from.
Since October 2024, Sherard Primary School has been working towards strengthening its food culture. Motivated by connecting children with where their food comes from and supporting them to make healthier choices, Headteacher Helena Blumfield joined forces with the Food for Life Leicestershire team to make this happen.
Queen Eleanor Primary Academy, Northampton, welcomed guests this week to share all about their Food for Life activities and celebrate achieving a Silver Food for Life Schools Award. The Soil Association’s Policy Team joined the visit to see and hear what a Food for Life School which works in partnership with their Food for Life Caterer is like. As well as hear the impact of this for the children, staff and the wider community.
Tuesday was one of those magical days when you think “THAT’S why I do what I do”. Food for Life’s Northern Networks came together for a half-day of inspiration, sharing, discussion, and action – thanks to our friends at QuornPro for hosting; and what a special day it was.
There was a strong sense of urgency in Parliament this week as MPs, Peers, businesses and civil society came together to back a Good Food Bill – and to launch the new Fixing Food for Good briefing.
The event, hosted by the Food Foundation, Sustain and Green Alliance, brought together more than 100 organisations behind a shared goal: securing new legislation to fix a food system that is increasingly struggling to deliver for people and the environment. Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, joined the discussion alongside cross-party parliamentarians, underlining the growing political focus on food security.
Toad Hall Nursery have recently retained their Food for Life Served Here Silver certification. Providing early years childcare across the southeast, and serving over 2,000 meals a day in 14 sites, they have shown their commitment to embedding the critical role food plays in the development and growth of children and its role in creating a sustainable future for them. The Food for Life Served Here team have worked in partnership with Toad Hall for over 10 years and we’re so proud to shine a spotlight on the fantastic work they do by catching up with Kayleigh Forrest Foster - Head Chef at Toad Hall to find out what motivates her to strive for healthy and sustainable food across their settings.
The Food For Life Schools Award Framework - and by extension, the School Food Standards - considers the food quality and food culture of every meal eaten in schools. This means the hot dinners provided by schools but also the packed lunches. All children should have access to good and healthy food.
Congratulations to Bath Spa University on achieving both Food for Life Served Here and the Green Kitchen Standard!
We're delighted to recognise Bath Spa, who rank second in the People and Planet Sustainability League, for meeting the rigorous criteria of both certifications. This is a huge accomplishment that truly reflects their deep, organisation-wide commitment to sustainability, responsible sourcing and healthier food environments.
All of Food For Life’s work is focussed around developing a positive healthy and sustainable food culture. While this work in schools may typically be associated with children’s growing and cooking skills, it takes a truly whole school approach, which means also looking at the dining experience.
A critical action as part of the Food for Life School Award framework is the creation of a School Nutrition Action Group, or SNAG, that take responsibility for embedding a positive school food culture. Its purpose is to facilitate and amplify a collective voice around the food decisions that are made in schools, and under the committed leadership of the Kate Leith, the schools’ Food for Life lead, Fossebrook has truly exemplified this ethos.
Our last webinar, “Walsall: A Local Food System Story”, explored how Food for Life and Walsall Council are working with local partners to build food system resilience through collaboration, local leadership, and connected actions that add up to something bigger.
For almost 20 years, Food for Life has been working with schools across the country to build a strong, healthy food culture that reaches every part of school life. We support schools to serve great food, teach children where it comes from, and build practical skills through cooking and growing.
