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What will happen to Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) beyond 2020? That’s the question that was grappled with by speakers at LACA’s Spring Seminar at Stratford Manor Hotel on March 11.

The consensus is that the industry needs solid data on the benefits of UIFSM if it is to have any chance of persuading Government to continue to fund the scheme beyond the life of the current parliament, which will end in 2020.

But as the Department for Education has made clear it will not be funding the collection of such evidence, the school meals sector has decisions to make about who takes the lead on such a project and how enough money could be raised to support it.

Myles Bremner said: “We need all the evidence we can find because unless we know how many British carrots are being grown, cut, cooked and eaten by children every day we don't have the data we need to make our case.

“The challenge now for LACA is data. What gets measured gets done.”

Linda Cregan of the Children’s Food Trust added: “The power of school in shaping children's eating habits is huge. It's where they spend most of their time eating outside of home.

“It seems bonkers that Government is not prepared to fund the measurement and evidence that will show the benefits of UIFSM.”

School meals champion Jeanette Orrey sounded a warning about the lpight of small schools, in particular.

“Some are going to lose funding, possibly as much as £2,300 per school in some areas, so LACA needs to invest in evaluation otherwise we're going to be looking at kitchen closures.

“We've all worked so hard and I don't want to lose all that you have been able to deliver – it’s a case of saving jobs and continuing to serve good, healthy food for our children.”

Another speaker at the seminar, Orla Delargy, who was formerly at the DfE and now works for the Leon Foundation, laid out what she believes needs to happen.

“You need evidence and partners. You don't have champions in the DfE any more. Michael Gove has moved on, David Laws has gone. There's no public commitment to evaluate the £600m spending on UIFSM.

“But Scotland is evaluating, so take careful note of what they’re doing.

“And take good care of your small schools, there are 4,300 of them and that’s a lot who will face tricky decisions when funding is cut.

“In fact, this is an issue that could divide you all. When heads have to decide between the quality of food and keeping a teaching assistant, it'll be very easy to let the quality of the food slip.

“That’s why you must stay together, because Government finds it difficult to combat a mobilised, unified front.

“So forge alliances, gather your evidence and feed it into LACA. I think you ideally need a campaign coordinator as a point of contact to handle all the data.

“And find a way to fund the measurement. Look at the benefits beyond schools, for example from food distribution companies who have invested in new fleets of vehicles to meet UIFSM demand. This sort of investment is feeding tax revenue back into the treasury.”

Ian Wright, director general of the Food and Drink Federation, told the seminar that his members every incentive to help encourage healthy eating.

“There's very little value to us in our customers being obese or unhealthy, because they are economically active.”

He believed the government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy might well not see the light of day before the autumn and that it was extremely unlikely it would include a sugar tax.

“I think we’ll see a feasibility study announced about how a sugar tax can best be implemented.

“There will also be a programme of reformulation negotiated with manufacturers, with a 10% reduction of sugar in all food and a 20% cut in soft drinks.”

He said the FDF was voluntarily ending all advertising aimed at under 16’s this year, though he suspected the strategy might well look to take this even further.

“I also expect to see the Government use its leverage in the public sector to promote a better understanding of healthy eating, in schools, hospitals prisons and Government offices, but also in shops and outlets in Government-owned premises like hospitals.”

He defended the FDF’s voluntary approach to reformulation.

“The big players will do it and have said they will. The Government will name and shame those who don't reformulate voluntarily. Other sanctions could see retailers stop stocking it -peer pressure will do 95% of the job.”

And he concluded: “The FDF will need to look seriously at labeling once we know what's in the Obesity Strategy. We want to collaborate with you, because we all share a desire to see an active, healthy population.”

The seminar was concluded with a presentation by Tim Baker, head teacher at Charlton Manor Primary School, in London who showed how growing vegetables, keeping bees and hiring chefs to teach cooking had helped improve behaviour, health and academic achievement.