Follow the Carrot: Can free school meal expansion boost the UK food and farming economy?

This report explores the economic opportunity that expanding free school meals offers for UK producers and wider public sector supply chains. Our findings suggest that universal FSM in England could increase school meals served per year from 1 billion currently to more than 1.54 billion. This has the potential to drive up to a 54% uplift in demand from schools for key UK-produced ingredients and represents an opportunity worth over £600 million annually in food procurement for producers and suppliers.

However, success depends on certain conditions being met. The report makes a series of recommendations to leverage the full impact for children’s health, sustainable British production and the wider economy:

1. Unlock economic growth for UK producers and supply chains by continuing to expand free school meal eligibility as part of a roadmap to universality
2. Improve food quality and sustainability in schools by strengthening standards, enforcing compliance and applying clear accountability measures
3. Support a stronger, fairer school food system by reforming funding to reflect the real costs of quality meals and investing in local supply chain infrastructure
4. Scale up proven models that benefit British producers and communities by investing in local procurement, evidence and innovation
5. Maximise the impact of public food spending by embedding school and public sector food in joined-up strategies across food and farming, health and the economy

This research is collaboration between Bremner & Co, Sustain and the Ampney Brook Foundation, with additional support from Impact on Urban Health.