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LACA calls for fairer school meals funding across 4 nations at Main Event

08 Jul 2025
The LACA Main Event, which kicks-off today at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole and is the largest school meals get-together in the UK, has called on the Government to make school meals funding fairer across the four nations to ensure that every child has the opportunity to eat a hot, healthy and nutritious school meal.

One of LACA chair Judith Gregory’s core aims was to continue with the messaging for England focussing on the differences in school meals funding, so that there is consistency across all ​four UK nations along with the ringfencing of funding.

Scotland receive £3.30, Wales get £3.20, in Northern Ireland it is £2.60 and England get 2.61 as of September 2025.

Providing nutritious meals to children has become increasingly challenging due to significant cost increases, staff shortages and funding shortfalls. The delegate conference sessions will explore strategies to ensure that all children and young people receive the very best school food to support their growth and learning.

The Main Event delegate programme will be kicked-off by Judith Gregory who will inform members and attendees about LACA’s recent activities as well as providing people with an update on the breakfast trials. New LACA ambassadors Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBE will also be present to welcome attendees.

The Four Nations panel will highlight what differs across the UK but also what individual nations are doing to improve the service and deal with the difficulties they encounter. It will involve Brad Pearce (England), Judith Gregory (Wales), Nicki Joiner (Scotland) and Colm Bradley (Northern Ireland).

A keynote speech at the event will come from Cambridge University Professor Giles Yeo on day one (July 8th), when he will address the topic: ‘Why Calories Don’t Count’. Professor Yeo has appeared on many TV programmes related to food and the importance of diet. His book explains what really matters is how your body digests and absorbs your food, not how many calories it contains.

During a session titled ‘Managing Scope 1 & 2 emissions and saving schools £millions’, Dr Sam Mudie will explain how and what school caterers need to do to achieve these results. Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Gateshead South, will provide a political and policy update for Main Event delegates.

Speaking about the upcoming Main Event, Gregory said: “It’s summer, the Main Event is upon us, and I am very much looking forward to seeing you all – members, friends, suppliers – at what promises to be another very successful occasion.

“So much planning has gone into putting on what is the largest school meals event in the UK. In fact, it is really two events in one – there is the main conference together with workshops, competitions and awards, and then there is School Food Show, which will showcase the best of food, drink, equipment, technology, and services from well over 160 different suppliers.”

As part of the School Food Show, visitors to the Main Event will have access to: