National School Meals Week (NSMW) provides a platform for school caterers to drive up school meal numbers and promote the importance of healthy eating to young children and parents. This year it will run from Monday 9th to Friday 13th November 2009.

This annual event run by LACA will use the new tools of digital marketing to communicate with its key audiences. There will be online competitions, a vote to find Britain’s most popular school lunch, a way for primary school pupils to say thank you to their catering staff and the chance for secondary students to make an ad that promotes healthy eating to their friends.

The first website for the week has now been launched at www.iloveschoolmeals.co.uk and you can download information for both school caterers and suppliers. You can also read Irene Carroll’s blog, former LACA Chair and co-ordinator of NSMW for LACA, where she will detail what is happening and how everyone can take part.

If you have any questions then please contact Arnold@avfmarketing.co.uk or phone him on 01609 775686.

LACA is running national school meals week (NSMW) this year from the November 9-13. Former chair of LACA Irene Carroll is co-ordinating the week. David Foad met her to find out what is happening and how things have changed from previous years.

HOW HAS NATIONAL SCHOOL MEALS WEEK CHANGED THIS YEAR?
LACA has moved away from a traditional paper based promotion to an online awareness week. We will be using a host of new digital marketing techniques like: A new website that has everything you need to run the week or just take part in one of the days; search engine optimisation so that natural search is improved; user generated content like voting; online PR with RSS feeds; competitions; downloads; social networking; and much more.

Some colleagues may not be aware of all these new terms and that is why I am explaining them on my regular blogs. To find out more please visit www.iloveschoolmeals.co.uk - and go back regularly.

WHY HAS LACA MADE THESE CHANGES?
We are very conscious of the role the Internet is playing in all our customers' lives. During last year's tendering process for NSMW one company, AVF Marketing, clearly demonstrated their expertise in the digital marketing area. On top of that they are already doing it with their very successful websites including www.myschoollunch.co.uk.

They presented a way that NSMW could achieve the objectives LACA has set using the new techniques. As a result they have been asked to deliver NSMW for three years.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR?
We are delighted to say that the School Food Trust is supporting the week and has made a significant financial contribution. We are hoping that Scotland will also be taking part so it is a truly national event. We have set up the website with my blogs, the activities on all the days have been agreed, plus a NSMW YouTube channel is online. We have undertaken research with teenagers and primary school pupils to see who should be the voice of the week and discussions are well underway.

A detailed plan of what is going on has been produced and a web wire diagram has been agreed along with page layouts and content.

WHAT IS HAPPENING DURING NSMW?
Every day is different but each one uses the "Get" theme. All the activities fit into a whole school approach about food and school meals and can increase meal numbers. There will be a "How to Run the Week" produced for the conference and it will also be available for download.

At the beginning of the week, on the Monday, we will announce the results of the vote to find Britain's most popular school meal and also the school meal of the future using all the dishes from the final of this year's School Chef of the Year (SCOTY).

On the Tuesday there will be a video cast showing the SCOTY winner, Debbie Mumford from Ermington Primary School, Ivybridge, Devon, with cookery ideas and recipes that can be cooked in school and at home. On the Wednesday our sporting hero will be encouraging teenagers to exercise more and build up their appetite for a healthy meal at lunch time.

On the Thursday teenagers will be asked to get filming and make a 30 second advert to promote healthy eating to their friends. And on the Friday young children can download menu templates to colour in and write thank you messages for catering staff.

CAN WE VOTE FOR THE MOST POPULAR SCHOOL MEAL?
That is a very definite yes. We want school caterers across the country getting their family, friends, teachers, parents and pupils to vote. The more the better it is as we will be breaking down the results into the TV regions for PR purposes.

WHEN WILL THE WEBSITE BE LAUNCHED?
The next version of the website will be launched before the LACA conference. This will have posters, competition details, direct mail letters for parents, emails, certificates for schools. These can be downloaded and used to promote the week. You can get what you like printed locally, in plenty of time and free of charge.

A new website will go live on the Monday of the week and this will be mainly aimed at parents, pupils, teenagers and the media. On the websites you will find everything you need. I should add that there is one website but two email addresses. The one I have mentioned at www.iloveschoolmeals.co.uk is targeted at caterers, LACA members, schools, teachers, governors and the media. There will be a new one during the week for teenagers but it will point to the same website.

HOW CAN SUPPLIERS GET INVOLVED?
For the first time we have an online suppliers directory. This enables them to provide details of their products and services online and show how they are supporting the week. There are three packages. The first costs £100 and is an entry showing company name and contact details. The second allows a supplier to have up to 500 words and two graphics, this option is free to LACA Partners. The last package offers the £250 page plus an inbound link to the company's website plus a banner advert that will appear at regular intervals at random on the website.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ALL LACA MEMBERS ABOUT NSMW?
The theme of the week is "Get involved" and that is exactly what I hope all LACA members will do. I believe this year's event will be the biggest and best yet and will raise the profile of school lunches and help authorities sell more meals. I feel that it is a win–win situation for everyone.