As we wind down for Christmas, Myles and the team are reflecting on the team’s 12 highlights from the last 12 months.
All of us at Bremner & Co have been so chuffed to work and collaborate with so many brilliant partners – getting to the nub of what we must do to help all our children have access to great food and be able to thrive.
We’ve loved working on projects that collectively span a child’s development (did you know it’s 8,000 days, by the way?) From studying into the breastfeeding landscape, to evaluating London’s universal primary school meals, to exploring what’s going on in secondary schools and into further education.
We’ve experienced an inconsistency rollercoaster when it comes to children’s food policy – whether it’s where you live, what age you are, or your background, culture or economic status.
But we’ve worked with so many people to champion the ‘virtuous venn’ of access, quality, funding, recognising all three must come together to create ambitious but achievable solutions.
Here’s our 12 highlights:
1. FixOurFood FSM Auto-enrolment
This ‘live action research’ project has thrust into the limelight the crazy injustice of crummy IT and bad administration getting in the way of children being able to access their entitlement to free school meals.
With amazing partners at University of York and The Food Foundation, we’ve worked alongside 66 Councils across England to help them plan and introduce local auto-enrolment schemes. And, at the same time campaign, gain (significant!) media attention around why national government need to act. We’ve been in awe working alongside Professor Maria Bryant and her team. Huge kudos to Rob Oxley for doing the nifty work to get our Lancet article! Let’s really hope the Child Poverty Taskforce act decisively and make this happen in 2025.
2. Interrogating the economics of school food
Cost of a School Meal Report
Commissioned by School Food Matters and partnering with Cohesion Consulting, Bremner & Co worked with schools, caterers, academics and the wider school food supply chain to number crunch and analyse the data to work out the true cost of a school lunch. It’s £3.16, by the way – at least 60p behind current funding! Read the report here.
Incentives and counter-incentives of secondary school food
We were asked by the Association for Young People’s Health and Newham Council to write a ‘think piece’ about the financial pressures, incentives and counter-incentives that shape the food offer in secondary schools. The short report critiques and highlights real pressures in the system – there’s a lot to do in secondary schools for sure.
3. London Universal primary FSM – ‘More than a Meal’ evaluation
The evaluation of the Mayor of London’s universal primary free school meals policy highlighted significant benefits for family finances, children’s health and wellbeing, and school engagement, particularly for lower-income households. It stressed the need to ensure equitable access to meals – and then made seven recommendations for national policymakers.
The report was commissioned by Impact on Urban Health. Bremner and Co supported the facilitation of the incredible evaluation teams: Child Poverty Action Group, ICF, Reconnect London, and Public Health Nutrition Research, and we worked closely with the London Mayor’s team. We were delighted to work with international academic colleagues from Harvard to develop the Theory of Change which guided the evaluation design and inform policy recommendations.
4. Work on the Breastfeeding landscape
Bremner & Co conducted a comprehensive landscape review of breastfeeding barriers, support and portrayal for Impact on Urban Health – leading to the publication of the Breastfeeding in Focus report. This highlighted the need for improved policies, funding and leadership to create environments where breastfeeding is supported and accessible for all families.
We were pleased that our research (which included a detailed media analysis on how breastfeeding is portrayed) fed into The Food Foundation’s Breaking Down the Barriers to Breastfeeding report too!
5. Food Poverty in the Early Years
Commissioned by the KPMG Foundation, and published by the Education Policy Institute, this report was authored by Dr Kerris Cooper and Dr Eva Jiménez.
The lack of publicly available information on nutrition within early years settings required that Bremner & Co’s Dayna Brackley and Abigail Page contributed their specialist knowledge and research on the topic.
The report calls for reforms to the Healthy Start Scheme and Free Early Years Meals, a national strategy to tackle food poverty, and greater support for local authorities to deliver practical, community-led solutions
6. Early Years Nutrition in Childcare Settings
Bremner & Co have really enjoyed helping to convene and grow the ‘Early Years Nutrition Data Group’ – with over 26 groups from across the early years sector coming together, including setting representative bodies from nurseries and childminders. Collectively, we’re identifying the policy and practice priorities to ensure that all children in early years settings get access to nutritious food. It’s a complex landscape for sure; important research and data has been commissioned and policy recommendations are becoming clear.
7. The ‘Virtuous Venn’ of the School Food Review
The School Food Review is a group of 36 organisations working together to improve the school food system in England. It includes charities, unions, catering companies, educational organisations and academics who contribute to England’s school food system. It’s supported by Impact on Urban Health and led by a group including School Food Matters, Chefs In Schools, Bite Back and the Food Foundation.
Bremner & Co provides technical knowledge and support for the School Food Review, which this year has included producing a policy toolkit that sets out a costed blueprint and roadmap for the government to take action on school food.
8. Working across the UK – our Nesta project in Wales
Nesta asked Bremner & Co to become a Nesta resident in the Wales office to help them understand the school food landscape in Wales and where Nesta could have most influence. We learnt a lot from some pioneering policy work by the Wales government, especially around its focus on procurement – Welsh food on Welsh school plates!
Most of all, we supported Nesta in understanding the absolute importance of taking a whole school approach to their thinking.
9. Being wowed by Ukraine’s commitment to school food
It’s been a privilege to play a part in the global School Meals Coalition’s work, and be part of the international effort to improve school meals across the globe. Working with the awe inspiring Professor Don Bundy and Professor Juliana Cohen, we have supported the First Lady in Ukraine to embed universal school meals, presenting evidence from the UK and beyond.
10. Understanding that children need to ‘belong’ and ‘thrive’
Whether it’s the change of government, or maybe we’re understanding things better – it seems there are going to be important opportunities to embed a good food culture and food education as core principles to ensure that all children feel that they ‘belong’ and can ‘thrive in school.
We’re pleased to be founding members of the Food Education Network. And also to work with the inspirational School of Artisan Food and their Best Food Forward secondary schools education project. Important work to do on food education in 2025!
11. Follow the Carrot – how better food procurement can boost food and local economies
Bremner & Co, in collaboration with Sustain, is leading the ‘Follow the Carrot’ project to explore how expanded access to free school meals could benefit the UK’s food and farming economy.
Backed by Impact on Urban Health and the Ampney Brook Foundation, the project investigates how increased demand for fresh, locally sourced ingredients might support farmers, growers, and food producers, and drive growth in the domestic food system, benefitting children and the wider economy.
We also worked with FixOurFood, exploring the complex landscape of food procurement and provision in early years settings in Yorkshire. Check out the report here.
12. Working with brilliant people
The last but most important highlight in the Bremner & Co year.
Our work has only been possible due to the tenacity, commitment and determination of all our partners and colleagues. We are constantly guided, supported, challenged and scrutinised by our funders, business partners and those across the food sector that we’re fortunate to work with.
We’ve really enjoyed 2024, and we sense that 2025 is going to be super important for children’s food.
Myles, Dayna, Trish, Abigail, Rob, Harri, Rosie, Cressida, and Harry