Follow the Carrot: How can more free school meals boost British farming?

Free school meals are rapidly being expanded to hundreds of thousands of children across the whole UK. It's already happening in Wales, Scotland and London, and from September 2026, an estimated 600,000 children in households receiving Universal Credit in England will start to receive them too.

At this webinar, we delve into new research published by Sustain, Bremner & Co and Ampney Brook Foundation looking at how this scale up can also enhance the health and sustainability of school food, working more directly with British producers of key ingredients such as carrots, potatoes, broccoli, beef and beans. 

We will be joined by experts in farming, procurement, public sector catering and school food to explore the scale of the opportunity. How do we make sure the school food system is ready to seize it? What are the conditions for success needed to deliver healthy, sustainable school meals from the carrot fields to the school canteens?

Join the discussion at 12pm on 23 September with Myles Bremner (Bremner & Co), Jayne Jones (Chair, Public Sector Catering Alliance), Caroline Morgan (Local Food Links), Hannah Gibbs (Bridging the Gap) and further farming and school procurement representatives to be confirmed. 

This webinar is kindly supported by Ampney Brook Foundation and Impact on Urban Health.