Refreshing Investment in Children's Health: Using the Sugary Drinks Tax to improve healthy food access in schools

The Sugary Drinks Industry Levy has been a huge success in driving reformulation, lowering sales of drinks high in sugar, and raising money to benefit children’s health. 

This report pulls together the results of a survey and case studies, completed by schools, local authorities, charities and enterprises working on school food projects, which provide a detailed picture of both the positive impact and the challenges experienced by local authorities and schools in accessing the funding.

Crucially, these insights have offered up plenty of inspiring examples of local funding allocation and individual school projects that have made a meaningful difference and are worth replicating in the future. These results and insights inform our key recommendations around a new Healthy Food Innovation Fund, inspired by investments facilitated by the 2018/19 Healthy Pupils Capital Fund (HPCF), to be available to local authorities and schools to invest in infrastructure and project innovation specifically around food – from new cookery or kitchen facilities to growing spaces, food and nutrition programmes, water fountains, new food activity clubs, and much more.