Latest News

LACA responds to SFT study into meal standards

30 April 2012

LACA (Local Authority Caterers Association) has offered its reaction to the findings of a new study by the School Food Trust (SFT) into the effect of compulsory nutritional standards for school food provision in secondary schools.

The study, which was published on Saturday, April 28th, looks at how the introduction of the nutritional standards had impacted on food preparation, uptake of healthier options and attitudes and eating habits of teenagers in 2011, compared to 2004.

The study found a number of positive improvements since 2004, among them were:

Finishing Touches for LACA and the Craft Guild of Chefs

30 April 2012

The Craft Guild of Chefs is once again working in association with LACA (Local Authority Caterers Association) on Finishing Touches, LACA’s annual static culinary display salon competition that will take place at its conference at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole from July 11-12.

Fewer teens are having chips for school lunch, finds research

30 April 2012

Fewer teenagers are having chips for their school lunch since legislation to improve school food came into full force, new research has found.

A national study by the School Food Trust - the first of its kind in secondary schools since compulsory nutritional standards came into full effect in 2009 - shows that the proportion of young people on school meals who had chips for their lunch was down from 43% in 2004 to 7% in 2011.

Derbyshire school opens ‘joint venture’ kitchen

30 April 2012

Derbyshire County Council’s catering department has teamed up with a village committee to fund and operate a new kitchen at Clifton Primary School.

The new kitchen was a joint project between the Clifton Smith Village Hall Committee and the county council catering department.

The committee funded all the building and enabling works and Derbyshire County Council funded the equipment and installation of the kitchen.

Previously the school’s meals were prepared at Parkside Community School in Ashbourne and transported over.

Pupils targeted as Red Tractor farms promote ‘Olympic food journey’

24 April 2012

Leading food quality assurance scheme Red Tractor is launching a UK-wide initiative to showcase how food makes its way from farms to the Olympics.

The initiative following recognition achieved by the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme when it was named an integral part of Food Vision for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games, a document produced by the organising group LOCOG.

LACA chair’s school meal comments make national media

23 April 2012

LACA chair Lynda Mitchell has been busy responding to national media interest in school meal standards following outspoken comments on the subject by Jamie Oliver.

She was sought out by Observer newspaper political editor Toby Helm for reaction to Oliver’s attack on Education Secretary Michael Gove for allowing academies and free schools to ignore the national nutritional standards.

LACA backs Children’s Society report on free school meals

20 April 2012

LACA (the Local Authority Caterers Association) has announced it shares the concerns raised in a report entitled ‘Fair and Square’ by the Children’s Society which has launched yesterday (Thursday 19th April).

The report examines the potential impact of the Government’s proposed reforms to the welfare entitlement thresholds of families under the new Universal Credit System currently envisaged.

Survey shows most parents want to pay for school meals online

20 April 2012

New research carried out on more than 14,000 parents across the UK has shown that the vast majority would like the option to pay online for school items, though fewer than half of all schools allow them to.

The survey, carried out by home to school communications provider ParentMail found that 91% of primary parents and 90% of secondary parents would like to be able to pay online for school items, such as school dinners or trips for their child.

More than a million poor children miss out on free school meals

19 April 2012

More than half of all school children living in poverty - 1.2 million - are missing out on free school meals, according to new research by The Children’s Society.

And 700,000 are not entitled to free school meals at all, according to the society’s Fair and Square Campaign, which wants to extend eligibility for free school meals to all children living in poverty in England by the end of 2012.

Pupils from Birmingham begin gardening

18 April 2012 | West Midlands Region

Pupils from James Brindley School in Birmingham have planted the first of their three fruit and vegetable gardens, courtesy of Sodexo, a leading provider of on-site service solutions.

As part of Rocket Gardens' Dig for the Future project, which encourages schools to get children growing organic vegetables and learning about the food they eat, Sodexo is providing schools in communities where it operates with seasonal fruit, vegetable and salad gardens.

The Sodexo Foundation is sponsoring the company's partnership with Rocket Gardens as part of its STOP Hunger campaign whi