Project Overview

The establishment and financing of TSFP is a strategic response to a rare political opportunity. The UK Department of Education has committed £1bn to support the expansion of free school meals to at least 500,000 more pupils and has pledged to strengthen School Food Standards across all state schools. With political momentum behind these reforms, TSFP is positioned to help translate ambition into consistent, on-the-ground change by supporting the actors who plan, fund, procure, prepare and serve school meals.

TSFP will adopt a “whole‑school” approach to transforming school meals – supporting not just kitchens but classrooms, staff rooms and leadership teams to build strong food cultures, improve health and educational outcomes, and deliver meaningful food education. TSFP will scale proven existing food and food education programs over the next five years through a network of peer-supported schools and a cohort of national exemplar schools, demonstrating what is possible when health is prioritised and service providers are supported. To secure co-benefits for local farmers and improve food security, TSFP is also advocating for a minimum of 50% of public food to be British-grown or sustainably produced. By engaging place-based networks of providers, TSFP aims to demonstrate that school food procurement can be more sustainable and supportive of British producers, while remaining operationally viable.

Through a national online hub launching in September 2026, TSFP will expand the reach of their free resources, including menus, recipes, training, e‑learning and live learning sessions for teachers, caterers, school leaders and the wider school community. Through these wrap-around service provisions for actors across the value chain, TSFP will capitalise on this critical political moment to make the case for both the possibility and benefit of changing how the UK feeds children in schools.

Why this Work is Important

One in three children leave primary school overweight or obese  — contributing to a £126bn obesity crisis in the UK — yet school food remains part of the problem, not the solution. Currently, there are no national policies on how schools should procure food for their pupils, leaving generic and poorly enforced procurement standards to shape the next generation’s daily plate. The gap left by inadequate policy is widened by a lack of education, support or coordination to help stakeholders shift their practices. With higher reliance on ultra-processed foods for children’s diets than anywhere else in Europe, there is a collective agreement that something has to change.

Momentum is building, both within civil society and governments. At this key inflection point for policy reform, TSFP is meeting a critical need in civil society to begin shifting the school plate from a problem to a solution. By building the evidence base and coordinating capacity building across the sector, TSFP will strengthen delivery on the ground and support advocacy for practical, fit‑for‑purpose school food policy.

Outcomes and Impact

The evidence base for better school food is clear: schools can see improvements in behaviour and focus within weeks, healthier meals are linked to meaningful gains in learning, and universal provision can reduce obesity amongst children. Expanding access also represents strong value for money over the long term, delivering visible benefits to families and communities — including cost‑of‑living relief, greater pride in schools, and stronger demand for high‑quality British produce. Crucially, this impact can be achieved quickly through a ready‑to‑run delivery model that leverages existing infrastructure and political momentum, limiting the need for major new public spending.

Beyond participating schools, TSFP will build demand for better school food by engaging parents, pupils and policymakers — shifting expectations so that good food is valued, responsibly sourced and consistently served in every UK school.