News

Scheduled for Tuesday, November 20th in the appropriately named Jubilee Room, LACA will be marking the 25th anniversary of NSMW, sponsored again this year by Kraft Heinz Foodservice.

The week, which organisers say is one of the ‘crown jewels’ in LACA’s school meals promotional calendar, will now culminate when invited MPs and peers will sample the best of today’s education catering with a specially-created menu to mark the occasion.

The event will be co-hosted by School Food APPG Chair and Shadow Minister for Health, Sharon Hodgson MP and School Food APPG Vice-Chair, and Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government Roberta Blackman-Woods MP.

In a joint statement they said: “We are delighted to once again support LACA and their NSMW along with the tremendous work that they do in promoting the many benefits of a healthy and nutritious school meal.

“The earlier we educate our children to start eating a balanced diet on a daily basis - a life lesson that we hope will stay with them through their adult lives - the better.

“School meals are prepared and cooked to the School Foods Standards that lay out clear guidelines on the levels of sugar, salt, harmful fats etc. that are permitted in education catering.

“In addition, a minimum of 30% of a child’s daily nutrients have to be present in a two course school meal and really, can there be anything more important than making sure our children are well fed and nourished?”

LACA Chair Tim Blowers responded: “This is fantastic news and we are indebted to our friends in the House of Commons for their continued commitment to our programme and for enabling the event for LACA NSMW in this significant celebratory year for us.

“This has capped a fantastic year for me as chair of LACA and I wish my vice-chair and successor, Michael Hales, every success with what I know will be a brilliant event for our industry.”

Hales, managing director of Juniper Ventures, which provides education catering in the London Borough of Newham and neighbouring authorities, added: “I echo Tim’s comments and would like to extend my sincere thanks to Sharon Hodgson and Roberta Blackman-Woods for, once again, helping to keep school meals high on the political agenda with their proposing and seconding of the National School Meals Week event in the Jubilee Room.

“I am so excited at the opportunity to showcase all that is great about modern day school meals to the MPs and peers that will be present and to make the case for greater investment in education catering.

“With a plethora of activities planned across the ten LACA regions in England and Wales, the event in the Jubilee Room on the 20th will be the perfect platform for us show highlights of the celebrations to our distinguished guests.

“After the amazing events of NSMW 2017, we have a hard act to follow this year; however LACA Chair of Events, Neil Porter, along with the NSMW team, our sponsors Kraft Heinz Foodservice and LACA members across the country are committed to put on the best ever National School Meals Week in this our Silver Jubilee year.”