Blogs

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.  

Since 2017, Food for Life, in partnership with Walsall Council, has been driving a powerful food transformation across the borough. With Walsall facing challegnes around cost of living and access to healthy food, the council recognised that real change requires a joined-up approach to the whole food system. 

For over a decade, BaxterStorey has partnered with Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) to transform the way sustainable and nutritious food is served across the UK. Now, with the launch of a bold new five-year sustainability and nutrition strategy, BaxterStorey is setting its sights even higher: aiming to achieve Food for Life Served Here certification across all 1000 of its UK locations, as part of a trailblazing approach to serving healthier, more sustainable meals to the 1 million people they feed each day.

Greenshaw Learning Trust has made remarkable progress in school catering over the past year. Twenty-nine schools within the trust have earned Food for Life Served Here Bronze certification, meaning over 5,700 healthier and more sustainable meals are served daily.