Latest News

National school food learning hub goes live

19 June 2013

A new national online training hub for school cooks, head teachers, school business managers and others working to provide healthy food for children has gone live.

The Children’s Food Trust’s Learning Network aims to be a hub for information and learning about healthy children’s food, and has launched its first e-learning training courses this week. Subjects covered include increasing free school meal take-up, practical low cost improvements to the dining space, and ways to get pupils and parents involved in school food.

Innovate Services backs Sunday Times’ Better School Meals campaign

19 June 2013

When Innovate launched in 2007, it was driven by an aim of modernising the school catering experience for secondary schools, academies and colleges across the UK.

Derick Martin, CEO of Innovate explained: “When we launched Innovate Services five years ago, it was clear to me that school meals had lost its way over the years. It was stuck in a time warp and wasn’t addressing the current needs or wants of the ‘customer’- students.

School Sandwich Designer of the Year crowned

14 June 2013

Tom Howarth from Broadstone Middle School, in Dorset, has been crowned ‘School Sandwich Designer of the Year’.

Organised by The Laughing Cow, the competition was designed to highlight the importance of healthy eating and encourage students to interact with food. Pupils were challenged to get creative with Laughing Cow cheese and develop recipes for tasty, healthy sandwiches.

Howarth’s winning product was a Laughing Cow cheese, ham and tomato wrap.

Study shows 400% rise in obese children needing hospital treatment

13 June 2013

The number of children admitted to hospital for problems related to obesity in England and Wales quadrupled between 2000 and 2009, a study has found.

Nearly three quarters of these admissions were to deal with problems complicated by obesity such as asthma, breathing difficulties during sleep, and complications of pregnancy, rather than obesity itself.

Researchers at Imperial College London looked at NHS statistics for children and young people aged five to 19 where obesity was recorded in the diagnosis.

LACA responds to school meals concern over welfare benefit changes

11 June 2013

Anne Bull, the chair of LACA, the professional association for school food, has responded to the news that thousands of children may lose out on their free school meal as a result of planned changes to the welfare benefits system.

The warning has come from The Children's Society, which has launched a 'Fair and Square' campaign against the plans.

LACA responds to warning over viability of school meals service

11 June 2013

Anne Bull, the chair of LACA, the professional association for school food, has responded to the news that a funding gap may shut 8,000 such canteens.

She said: “For many children, a school lunch is the only hot, nutritious meal that they will eat in a day and it is essential that school meals are available to all children.

"We are very concerned that after so much investment and hard work there is a trend towards kitchen closures rather than increased uptake of school meals.

LACA chair Anne Bull responds to Blackpool breakfast club initiative

7 June 2013

LACA chair Anne Bull has issued a response to the story in today's Guardian newspaper that Blackpool Council is to extend its free breakfast trial in schools.

"With reports of children arriving hungry at school,the role of breakfast clubs as well as other food services in schools are more vital than ever before.

"Ensuring that the most nutritionally vulnerable children in our society have the opportunity to have breakfast and a hot nutritious school lunch every day is essential.

The 2013 LACA Awards for Excellence shortlisted nominees are announced

4 June 2013

The shortlist for the prestigious LACA Awards for Excellence 2013 has been announced. The award ceremony will be held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on July 11th 2013 and will be the focus of the LACA 'Main Event' Gala dinner.

Pictured are the 2012 winners of the Marketing Award, Hertfordshire Catering, receiving there award in front of over 600 peers and industry dignitaries.

Here are the shortlisted nominees who will be in with a chance of a similar honour:

Brakes launches complete school food solution

4 June 2013

Following customer research that identified a demand for complete school food solutions and easy to follow guidance on maximising the school food offer, Brakes has launched a new programme of support.
The programme includes all the tools school caterers need to rise to the challenge of delivering great tasting and nutritionally compliant school food, whatever their budget.

LACA responds to BNF survey on children's lack of food knowledge

3 June 2013

Anne Bull, the chair of LACA, the professional association for school food, has responded to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) survey showing worrying levels of ignorance among UK children about the food they eat.

She said: “LACA has been campaigning for some 15 years for practical cooking skills, nutrition and food to be a statutory requirement of study at school.