What would be the added value of expanding school meal eligibility, from school plates to suppliers and producers? In this blog, Rosie Osborne and Myles Bremner from Bremner & Co introduce new research project with Sustain, supported by Impact on Urban Health and the Ampney Brook Foundation.
At present, 2.1 million children are eligible for free school meals in England; another 1.3 million enjoy universal infant free school meals. The evidence is clear: free school meals boost children’s health, enhance academic performance, and equip them to thrive. These benefits alone make a compelling case for their universal provision. But beyond these well-documented benefits, we’re asking another vital question: if free school meal eligibility criteria were expanded, what impact could increased school meal uptake have on the UK food and farming economy? Our research aims to uncover an additional layer of value by examining how increased demand for fresh, locally sourced produce could create opportunities for UK farmers, growers, and food producers.
The recent Cost of a School Meal Report found that £1.11 out of every school meal is spent on food. School food procurement already represents a significant market opportunity, worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the UK food and farming economy. With the right approach, this spending could further support a stronger domestic food system. By quantifying the economic impact of expanding school meal provision on the food and farming sector, we hope to highlight the interconnected benefits of investing in universal free school meals—not just for children but for the nation's food system as a whole.
Our objectives include:
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Exploring the broader benefits of school meals: we aim to contribute to the conversation on school meals by examining the economic growth opportunity for the UK food and farming sector that lies in increased access to free school meals.
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Providing new perspectives for policy discussions: Our research seeks to offer fresh insights that may help inform broader conversations on the benefits of school food for varied stakeholders, as well as children.
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Strengthening collaborative efforts: By connecting with diverse stakeholders across schools, agriculture, production and catering, we hope to build a broader coalition in support of universal free school meals.
The project will leverage the expertise of a diverse network of individuals and organisations from across the school food value chain; including farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, procurement, caterers, chefs and school leadership. By examining the school food supply chain—from farm to fork—we’ll evaluate how commonly used ingredients such as peas, carrots, fish, or potatoes contribute to the producer economy. We’ll then assess the economic uplift potential of expanded school meal provision.
Our research will consider the complexity of these chains in the context of growing calls for fair, transparent school meal funding, increased school meal access and aligning school food procurement with local and agroecological farming; as well as the Labour government’s growth agenda for the country. We hope that the findings will serve to both strengthen our advocacy for expanding free school meals and spotlight the essential role of the British food and farming sector in meeting this demand.
This project has the working title ‘Follow the Carrot’ and is a collaboration between Bremner & Co and Sustain's Children's Food Campaign and Bridging the Gap programme, with support from Impact on Urban Health and the Ampney Brook Foundation.
Findings will be published in late Spring 2025. Stay tuned for updates!
If you have any contributions or questions to share with the research team please submit them via this form.
Vegetable market stall. Credit: Pexels
Children's Food Campaign: Better food and food teaching for children in schools, and protection of children from junk food marketing are the aims of Sustain's high-profile Children's Food Campaign. We also want clear food labelling that can be understood by everyone, including children.
