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Food for Life noted the ‘lackluster’ Government Food Strategy is not stopping local councils from improving school food on their own terms. In Medway the scheme will increase access to healthy and sustainable food by supporting school cooks.

Cllr David Brake, Medway Council’s portfolio holder covering public health, said: “I am pleased that we’ve teamed up with Food for Life to further develop the actions we’re taking to give children and young people the best start in life.

“Food for Life brings teachers, caterers, and food suppliers together to teach young people how to grow their own healthy food in a sustainable way at school. We are committed to providing residents of all ages the tools they need to live healthier lives.

“This exciting project will encourage young people to eat more healthily which they can share with their parents and carers at home. The Food for Life project also supports our aspiration to make Medway even more child-friendly.”

Jeanette Orrey ‘the UK’s most celebrated dinner lady’ founded Food for Life in 2009 in her own school kitchen, hoping to give every child in the UK a healthy start in life. Since then Food for Life has grown into a national scheme that has worked with over 10,000 schools across the UK.

Food for Life programme manager Chloe Smee added: “We want every child in Medway to have a healthy, sustainable meal at school every day, and to leave school knowing what good food looks like. Knowing how to grow fresh veg and to cook basic meals is a fundamental building block of a healthy life – which every child in Medway has a right to enjoy.”

Independent evaluation of Food for Life has shown that for every £1 spent on local produce, £3 is generated in social, economic and environmental value in the local community. Find out more: www.foodforlife.org.uk.