LACA: Levelling Up School Food

Our team has just returned from a fantastic few days at the LACA Main Event, where the spotlight was on the critical mission of levelling up school meals and disparity in funding across the UK.

LACA is campaigning for UK nations to ‘Level it up’ to ensure all children get the healthy and nutritious meals they deserve. The recent general election has been a huge opportunity to get this message across as LACA has been advocating for all political parties to commit to a minimum funding level of £3.00 per meal (index-linked) in their manifestos.

Why? Because schools are seeing ongoing cost increases, staffing shortages, and funding shortfalls, making it increasingly challenging to provide children with balanced meals. And the cost per head varies depending on postcode, which simply isn’t right.

Radnor Hills supports LACA’s Level it up mission and appreciated the opportunity to hear from speakers and panellists who are looking at strategies to ensure that all children and young people receive the best food in school to support their growth and learning.

We heard from a broad range of stakeholders in school food and drink about the huge impact that proper nutrition has on children’s health and development, as well as the knock-on effect it has on overall public health and the NHS. We can all understand the need to minimise these long-term impacts for everyone, regardless of where they live in the country.

Our team also enjoyed attending the event’s award ceremony, plus various competitions and workshops. The LACA School Food Show was another highlight, where we caught up with customers and fellow industry players, exploring some great new products and ideas for school meal operators.

We left LACA Main Event fully up to speed with the latest news and innovations, thanks to all the experts, educators, and policymakers on hand.

For more info on the Levelling It Up campaign, read LACA’s press release