News

LACA (formerly Local Authority Caterers Association) will be hosting a Seminar to officially mark the first International School Meals Day², a new initiative being held simultaneously in countries across the globe, on Friday March 8.

The LACA Seminar which takes place at Manchester Town Hall on March 8, aims to bring together professionals in school food service management and child wellbeing in relation to nutrition, hunger and obesity, from the USA, UK and Europe. The Seminar will examine the impact of diet related illnesses, the important contribution school food makes to children and young people’s health and the measures being taken around the world to tackle health inequality.

Speakers will include Dr Katie Wilson, Executive Director, National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI), USA; Professor Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Professor of Nutrition & Public Food Systems, Aalborg University, Denmark;  Matthew Reed, Chief Executive, Children’s Society, UK;  Kate Green MP, Stretford & Urmston – Manchester and Sylvia Chester, Public Health Advisor, Liverpool Health & Wellbeing Board.

International School Meals Day (ISMD) has emerged from an evolving relationship between the representative organisations for education catering service providers and child health and nutrition professionals in the USA and the UK.  With similar challenges and successes in food policies and practices in promoting healthy eating on both sides of the Atlantic, a number of leading organisations have pledged their support of ISMD including the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly, LACA, Northern Ireland School Catering Association (NISCA), Association of Service Solutions in Scotland (ASSIST), Children in Scotland, Global Child Nutrition Foundation, School Nutrition Association, United States Department of Agriculture and BBC World Class to name but a few.

The driving force behind the idea for international collaboration on school food issues is the increasing global concern over rising poverty levels in all countries including the UK and the risk to children’s long term health caused by poor nutrition and a lack of access to good food. 

The important role of school meals for children worldwide and in particular the provision of free and assisted school meals has never been more vital – both abroad and here in the UK.  Recent reports in the UK from respected children’s charities and health organisations have highlighted significant numbers of children arriving hungry at school and evidence of parents not being able to afford to feed their children properly.  Can this really be happening in 21st century Britain?

The UK is regarded by international colleagues as one of the leading nations in school food legislative change in the world.  Since 2010, the USA and the UK have been engaged in an exchange of policy, programme implementation and examples of good practices in schools both sides of the Atlantic.

Together with other organisations, LACA has been leading a campaign to ensure that the Nutritional Standards regulations for school food in England are made compulsory for all schools.  Currently, Academies and Free Schools are not required to abide by the law that applies to all state maintained schools.  Although many Academies have committed to doing so, there is evidence across England of slipping standards and banned food and drinks creeping back into schools.

With parents purse strings stretched to capacity in the UK and the fact that many are struggling to afford even basic essentials like food, the provision of a daily hot meal at school is particularly important for all children but particularly those who are the most nutritionally vulnerable in our society.  For many, here and overseas, this can be the only proper meal of the day.   LACA believes Free School Meals should be available to all families whose income is deemed to be below the poverty line.

It is essential that children’s health and wellbeing is continually placed high on the political agenda. The LACA Seminar will bring together a number of eminent and experienced speakers who will focus on issues relating to child poverty both here in the UK and further afield.  They will highlight how child poverty can have a dramatic impact on future generations and society and show examples of positive action to overcome health inequalities by addressing child poverty. Speakers will examine the current issues and challenges in the UK and compare them with those in  Europe and other countries across the world. The vision for the future will be explored. This will, from a political perspective, also focus on the barriers to change in the UK as well as the Government’s strategies and targets to reduce poverty levels

Commenting on the first LACA event to mark the inaugural International School Meals Day, LACA Chair, Anne Bull says: “By working together on an international basis, we can unite our respective skills and experiences to demonstrate the important correlation between food, healthy eating and education for children and young people worldwide.

“By sharing good practice and success stories from school food service experts here in the UK and overseas, we can highlight the impact school feeding programmes can have, not only on child wellbeing but also in helping them to achieve their full potential in life.

“Improving diet and lifestyle can help children and young people everywhere make the most of their education which for many is the only route out of poverty. LACA is anticipating that this first International School Meals Day Seminar will forge even stronger global partnerships in our collective fight against both poverty and obesity.

“Given the far reaching benefits of good nutrition, the opportunity of a daily nutritious school meal should be seen as every child’s right.”

LACA International School Meals Day Seminar (March 8) Programme:

09.00 Registration and coffee

09.30 Welcome – Neil Porter, Chair of Events Group, LACA
Aims of the day – Anne Bull, LACA National Chair

09.40 School food and hunger in a modern society
Dr Katie Wilson, Executive Director, National Food Service
Management Institute (NFSMI), USA
Katie will give an overview of the work of the Institute and present on global issues concerning improving the health and well-being of children by developing and promoting dietary guidance and the administering nutrition assistance programs, including the differences made by providing free and assisted school meals. Katie is a credentialed School Nutrition Specialist who served as the 2008-2009 President of the School Nutrition Association and is currently the Executive Director of the National Food Service Management Institute University of Mississippi.   She is recognised as an expert in the field of child nutrition and has testified before Congress on school nutrition issues and held briefings for both U.S. Congressional staff and Senate staff. 

10.10 Nutrition, physical activity and the obesity issue
Professor Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Professor Nutrition and Public Food Systems, Aalborg University, Denmark
Professor Mikkelsen will present the evidence that impacts on change and the improvement in nutrition and health initiatives and how they make a difference to long term outcomes for obesity. Bent is a research coordinator at Aalborg University focusing on intervention development and evaluation in nutrition and public food systems research.  He has published papers and peer reviews relating to obesity, eating behaviours in self-service settings, fruit and vegetable consumption and the potential for health promotion.

10.40 Coffee break

11.10  Child poverty – here and further afield
Matthew Reed, Chief Executive, Children’s Society
Kate Green MP,  Stretford & Urmston - Manchester
In a dual session, Matthew and Kate will update delegates on issues related to child      poverty including the impact on society, the child and future generations – and crucially what is being done and can be done to improve the situation.

11.40  Policy and Poverty affecting children
Sylvia Cheater, Public Health Advisor, Liverpool Health & Wellbeing Board
Sylvia will give a case study on how local initiatives and intervention have made a difference by using an integrated approach that is working. Sylvia Cheater was formerly the Regional Food and Nutrition Co-ordinator at the Department of Health NW where she set up the NW School Food Cluster.  An experienced and highly motivated leader, manager and practitioner she now works with a range of organisations focusing on children, families, the vulnerable and the hard to reach. She is a member of IHPE and a Trustee of HENRY - health exercise and nutrition for the really young (registered charity).

12.20  Unilever Feed the World Initiative
James Allred, Unilever Foodsolutions
During 2013, Unilever Foodsolutions have pledged to match every school meal served in the UK which uses Unilever sauces with a meal for a child in poverty in Africa, an initiative which has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation.

12.30  Lunch

13.20 Q & A session - Chaired by Paul O’Brien APSE

14.00 Motivational Speaker

14.50 Closing comments - Anne Bull, LACA National Chair