During the initial phase of the Follow the Carrot project, Sustain commissioned Bremner & Co to produce a report that demonstrated the economic benefit that increased school meal expansion could bring to the UK food and farming sector, filling a research gap and extending the school food conversation beyond hunger and health to agriculture and
Through the Children’s Food Campaign, Sustain aims to ensure that every child grows up with access to healthy and nutritious food. With children spending around 190 days a year in school, the central importance of school meals for children’s access to food, as well as their numerous health and social benefits, is well established.
How many more children in your area could become entitled to free school meals when the scheme expands to all households on Universal Credit? Bremner & Co have built an interactive data tool that compares free school meal registrations with Universal Credit households for every council in England, giving you the headline national picture at
Free School Meals Data Explorer Read More »
At Bremner & Co, we’ve really enjoyed working with our partners, Basis, over the past several years to support local authorities to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in the free school meals (FSM) system: that thousands of children are entitled to this support but are not registered to receive it. Together, we have worked with councils, including Tower Hamlets,
Children consume about 30% of their daily calories at school, making school meals a crucial opportunity to improve health. The school food system also supports the local economy by creating jobs and providing thousands of meals daily. Trafford Council’s Public Health team recognised this opportunity. At the time, Trafford’s catering service was responsible for the majority of school meals provided in the area, with up to 11500 lunches provided daily
A systems approach to school food improvement: working with Trafford Council Read More »
As the Bremner & Co team sign off for 2025, we have been reflecting on what has been a genuinely significant year for food policy and practice. Across children’s nutrition and the wider food system, we have seen meaningful progress, not only in policy change, but in the growing momentum behind a fairer, healthier approach to
10 moments that shaped food policy in 2025 Read More »
Across the country, councils are working hard to make sure every child has access to good food, whether through early years support, free school meals or wider healthy weight or anti-poverty strategies. But we know how complex this can be. Food provision across childhood often sits across multiple teams, services and settings, making it hard
Working with councils to improve child health and tackle inequalities Read More »
Best Food Forward‘s Food Education Mapping Project (FEMP) has been published. This report offers a comprehensive picture of how food education is taught and experienced in English secondary schools. Capturing the voices of teachers, school leaders and students, it demonstrates both the value of food education and the challenges that risk undermining it. Key findings
Southwark Council commissioned Bremner & Co to design and deliver an innovative school food management training programme for all school business managers (SBMs) across the borough. Using a co-design approach, we worked with 12 SBMs to identify the knowledge and competencies needed to confidently oversee high-quality school food. The training was embedded into an accredited
Training that works: a collaborative approach to school food management Read More »
Tower Hamlets Council commissioned Bremner & Co to lead the co-production and delivery of a school food improvement programme across 100 primary and secondary schools. This initiative required extensive collaboration across local authority departments, schools, and catering teams to develop a business case and action plan that would drive sustainable improvements in school food culture.
Policy in action: transforming school food in Tower Hamlets Read More »
