Bridging the Gap: How to make school food work for children, farmers and planet

Following on from Bridging the Gap’s How to fix the food system for everyone report, this report demonstrates how integrating more organic fruit and veg into school meals could drive a substantial market for UK growers, whilst supporting small and medium-sized suppliers to access £5 billion per year worth of public sector contracts would keep profits in local communities and boost economic resilience.

Public sector food is one of biggest commercial levers available to government to improve citizens’ diets, public health and drive climate and nature-friendly farming in the UK. It can support small and medium sized growers and farmers, widen access to healthy food and help people appreciate and value good food and the people and natural systems that produce it.

Over two years Bridging the Gap ran three school food pilots reaching over 75,000 children in schools. This report details the findings from these pilots, and shares recommendations to government on how to unlock opportunities for British growers to supply climate and nature friendly fruit, veg and pulses to the public sector and meet the Government’s manifesto commitment to source 50% local or sustainable food in public sector food procurement.

The report recommends three key areas for government to focus on:

Fix the supply: Facilitate new supply chains that work with and for small and medium growers.

Fix the missing middle: Invest in local food infrastructure to help smaller producers get produce into public sector contracts.

Fix the access: Reform public sector funding and standards to create stable markets for organic and local produce.