Over February and March, the team travelled everywhere from Blackpool to Birmingham, City Hall to Oxford, joining conversations with researchers, practitioners, policymakers and local authorities working to improve food systems across the UK. Discussions centred on how policy can help create healthier and more equitable food environments, from auto-enrolment and commercial baby food reform to strengthening support for early years nutrition. Here’s a snapshot of some of the events, discussions and collaborations we’ve been part of recently.
Myles interviewed on Basis podcast, 5th February
Myles joined Joseph Badman from Basis on their podcast to discuss how local authorities are using opt-out auto-enrolment processes to increase uptake of free school meals. Thousands of children who are eligible for free school meals are still missing out due to the enrolment process, held back by stigma, complex administrative processes and language barriers. Additionally, universal infant free school meals have reduced the perceived need to register, resulting in significant pupil premium funding going unclaimed. Local authorities can address this through opt-out auto-enrolment, which removes the need for families to apply by using existing data to identify and enrol eligible children automatically.
The conversation explored how Bremner & Co and Basis support councils to navigate the practical hurdles councils face in implementing auto-enrolment, while also highlighting the wider benefits that it brings to councils and their communities beyond increased registrations, including improving data flows, securing additional funding and helping councils target support more effectively. A practical and insightful listen for anyone working to make sure local support reaches every family that needs it, with the link to listen here.
APSE conference on the future of public sector catering, 5th February
Cressida and Ashlee Teakle (of Basis) were invited to present at an Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) event in Stratford-upon-Avon, which brought together council representatives, catering managers and sector experts to explore how catering services are adapting to the challenges facing the sector. Their presentation focused on why councils should consider auto-enrolment and what catering teams stand to gain, including increased free school meal funding and strengthened local economies.
A particular highlight was a keynote speech from Luke Hall, which offered perspective on current discussions in Westminster and the wider direction of travel for national school food policy. They were joined by Myles for the evening charity dinner, where the APPG Excellence in School Food Awards were presented. Having been nominated for the same award last year for their auto-enrolment research with Fix Our Food, it was great to celebrate this year’s nominees and the breadth of positive work taking place across the sector.
Webinar for local authorities on upcoming changes to Free School Meals, 17th February
Cressida and Myles delivered two webinars for local authorities on auto-enrolment and the free school meal policy changes coming in September 2026. A shorter session for senior leaders provided a concise overview and opportunity to ask questions, which was followed by a longer workshop open to all councils, covering the expansion of free school meals to Universal Credit households, the end of transitional protections, and upcoming changes to the Eligibility Checking Service. Attendees also heard practical insights and case studies from Gloucestershire County Council and Southwark Council, before closing with a live Q&A.
Bring and Share Lunch, 24th February
Every month the team comes together for a Bring and Share lunch, and this occasion delivered on multiple fronts. We enjoyed a delicious spread featuring two vibrant salads, Dayna’s signature loaf, homemade cookies and a generous selection of cheese. We took this opportunity away from our desks to get stuck into some divisive topics; the definitive crisp shape ranking, left-field Cheshire pairings (orange marmalade, since you asked) and the great hummus debate. We reconvene next month.
The team enjoying our monthly bring and share lunch
Coram PACEY’s childcare and early years conference, 28th February
Dayna joined childminders and early years professionals at Coram PACEY’s annual conference celebrating the power of home-based childcare. Equity and inclusion were centred throughout the day, prompting reflection on how equity shows up in everyday food practice; from broadening what counts as “typical” food on menus and considering whether the home corner reflects a range of utensils, breads and food traditions.
Dayna also spent time with Ofsted to understand how the new nutrition guidance is being interpreted in inspections. While the focus is on whether settings have genuinely understood and embedded the intent of the guidance, for Dayna this raised important questions on where accountability for strong food practice in early years best sits, and how the wider system supports it.
Commercial Baby Food Review Kick off
Bremner & Co are proud to join the Commercial Baby Food Review, a new cross-sector programme funded by Impact on Urban Health focused on improving the nutritional quality, composition and marketing of commercial baby and toddler foods through stronger, enforced regulation. The Review brings together specialists in early years nutrition, food policy, public affairs, advocacy, parent engagement and academia, and Bremner & Co are delighted to be working alongside First Steps Nutrition, the Obesity Health Alliance, Sustain, Planeatry Alliance and the University of Leeds.
Research published last year from the University of Leeds and Which?, alongside the BBC Panorama investigation into baby food pouches underscores the importance of this work; revealing that around a quarter of products would require a front-of-pack warning for high sugar, while 92% of parents rely on these foods. With voluntary guidelines now in place and an 18-month implementation window underway, the Review will develop evidence-informed policy solutions that strengthen accountability and better protect the health of our youngest children.
Better Start Conference, March 5th
Dayna and Rosie presented at the Better Start Conference in Blackpool, representing the Early Years Food Coalition. They shared the importance of bringing early years nutrition into conversations about school readiness, noting that 290,000 children are without access to a free early years meal, and the opportunity presented by Best Start in Life funding to address this gap.
They were grateful to speak alongside a number of inspirational and knowledgeable speakers, including Dr Beverley Barnett-Jones MBE, whose talk on equity and justice as a lens to shape services for families resonated strongly; Neil Jack, who made the important distinction that school readiness is the metric for DfE, while the mission is to do what’s right for children and families; and Sally Hogg, speaking about the progress that Start Strong has made and the distance still to travel. The afternoon was a reminder of the momentum behind this work and the collective of expertise driving it forward.
Dayna and Rosie at the Better Start Conference in Blackpool
Dayna’s feature in Food Manufacture for International Women’s Day, 9th March
We were delighted to see Dayna recognised in Food Manufacture’s International Women’s Day list of Twelve Influential Women in Food and Drink. The feature highlighted her work to challenge systemic barriers to public health through research, advocacy and policy engagement, including her role in coordinating the Early Years Coalition and as founding partner for the Commercial Baby Food Review. It was a well-deserved recognition of the expertise and ambition she brings to this work. You can read the full feature here.
Nourishing Our Future Conference, 14th March
Dayna and Rosie attended the Nourishing Our Future (NOF) conference, hosted by Essex County Council and Anglia Ruskin University. NOF is a programme that supports early years settings across Essex to provide more nutritious food through guidance, resources, an award scheme and community cafés. Bremner & Co have been commissioned by Essex County Council to help share the work of NOF and ensure it reaches national policy and sector audiences.
The event celebrated one year of the NOF programme and showcased it’s encouraging signs of early impact; with more varied diets, nutritious lunchboxes, and calmer behaviour reported following reductions in ultra-processed foods. Practitioners shared their experiences from delivering the programme in settings, highlighting their commitment to supporting children’s health, whilst speaking candidly to the challenges of delivering this work sustainably and underscoring the importance of addressing funding, affordability and the commercial baby food landscape. Dayna also joined an expert panel alongside the NOF team, Angela Gamble, Michael Freeston and Catherine Lippe to discuss early years nutrition policy and the work still to be done.
The day left a strong sense of optimism about the partnership, with practitioners leading change in settings, back by pioneering local authority leadership from Essex County Council and the evidence base that Anglia Ruskin University continues to build.
Rosie and Dayna at Nourishing Our Future Conference
Good Food Local: The London Report Launch Event, 18th March
Dayna and Myles visited City Hall for the launch of Sustain’s Good Food Local: London 2025 report. The event showcased the progress London boroughs are making in taking a whole-systems approach to food, with councils increasingly connecting food to health, community, climate and local economies.
Dayna hosted the early years table, where discussions highlighted a common pattern across local authorities; where early years teams exist, food is not always a central focus. Many also noted gaps in understanding of what provision is in place locally, without which it is difficult to identify barriers and make progress.
Against this backdrop, the stronger focus on early years within the children’s food section of the report was particularly welcome. Westminster’s commitment to funding free meals across all settings stood out as a clear example of the joined-up thinking needed to improve access to nutritious food for younger children.
The wider picture reflects building momentum, with more boroughs tackling free school meal access, making progress on sustainable procurement, and strengthening local food systems. At the same time, ongoing pressures around funding, workforce capacity and gaps in provision remain.
Dayna at Sustain’s Good Food Local Report Launch Event
Ultra-Processed Food Policy Forum, 24th March
Rosie attended the Ultra-Processed Food Policy Forum at Imperial College London, organised by the Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation. The day brought together researchers, policymakers and advocates to interrogate the latest evidence on UPFs and explore how this can inform policy and regulatory approaches. What came across clearly was that whilst mounting evidence strengthens the case for regulation, that we are still far from consensus on what the right policies are to tackle rising harms of UPF consumption.
Henry Dimbleby closed the day by setting out three priorities for policy change: investing equally in supporting healthy food systems through measures like free school meal expansion and embedding food education in schools; continuing to tackle harmful practices through tools like a sugar and salt tax and tighter regulation of price promotions; and building a stronger research and data base to understand what drives behaviour change and how to support it.
Social Sciences Impact Conference 2026, 24th March
Dayna was proud to present at the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences Impact Conference: Impact in Motion: Navigating Uncertainty, Creating Change, at St Anne’s College, Oxford. The two-day conference brought together over 300 delegates from across academia, policy, the third sector and beyond, setting a significant platform to share the Nourishing Our Future story. Alongside Emily Fallon from Essex County Council and Dr Kay Aaronricks from Anglia Ruskin University, Dayna presented how locally commissioned research into food and nutrition in early years settings has travelled far beyond its origins; built on Essex’s public health ambition, Anglia Ruskin’s embedded research and academic expertise, and Bremner & Co’s work connecting local evidence to national policy audiences. To quote Dayna: ‘Commissioned locally. Cited nationally’.
Emily Fallon, Dayna and Dr Kay Aaronricks at the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences Impact Conference
Transforming UK Food Systems Annual Conference 2026, 23–24 March 2026
Myles attended the final annual meeting of the Transforming UK Food Systems Programme in Birmingham, which brought together researchers, policymakers and practitioners working across the UK food system to explore how to support healthier, more equitable and sustainable food systems.
Myles spoke in a session on expanding free school meal provision, focusing on the economic case for expansion, the role of auto-enrolment in improving access, and practical considerations for implementing scalable and equitable reform. The session drew on emerging research and local authority experience around increasing uptake and reducing barriers to access.
Taken together, these conversations reflect a collective of expertise, ambition and momentum currently shaping food policy across the UK. We’re always grateful for the opportunity to contribute to these discussions, learn from others across the sector and connect to emerging research and practise.