The future of school menus

In this episode of Talking Food with Bidfood, Daria Paterek, Customer Marketing Executive at Bidfood, is joined by John Want, CEO of HCL and Non-Executive Director of The School Food People, to discuss the future of school food and the proposed changes to school food standards.

As expectations around children’s health, nutrition and wellbeing continue to evolve, proposed updates to school food standards present both opportunities and challenges for schools and caterers. Daria and John explore what these changes could mean in practice, how operators can begin preparing, and why school food plays such an important role in supporting pupils both inside and outside the classroom.

Together, they discuss the importance of collaboration across the education sector, the practical considerations for implementing future changes, and how schools can continue to deliver nutritious, appealing meals while balancing operational and financial pressures.

In this episode, we explore topics such as:

• The proposed changes to school food standards and what they could mean for the sector
• The role of school meals in supporting children’s health, wellbeing and education
• Practical steps schools and caterers can take to prepare for future changes
• Balancing nutrition, budgets and operational challenges
• Why collaboration across the industry will be key to delivering positive outcomes


Whether you’re a school caterer, education leader, local authority or simply interested in school food, this episode offers practical insight.

Participants:

Daria Paterek – Digital Marketing Executive, Bidfood
John Want – CEO of HCL and Non-Executive Director of The School Food People

Timestamps:

00:00- Intro
00:09- What you’ll learn in this episode
01:04- What have the highlights been whilst collaborating with Bidfood?
02:14- How long have you been on the The School Food People board?
03:48- Where did you love for food begin?
06:00- What are the proposed updates for the School Food standards?
06:36- What was your initial reaction to these proposals?
09:06- What would you consider the most important updates to the School Food standards?
14:18- What impact do you think the new allergy safety requirements will have on school food service and menu planning?
16:35- What do you think are the biggest operational challenges that caterers and wholesalers can face in meeting these requirements?
20:43- Is there any way to balance the familiar with the unfamiliar?
21:13- How would you say that pupil expectations are changing within schools?
24:16- What specific trends or innovations do you think will shape the next generation of school meals?
26:26- What role do you believe suppliers and wholesalers should play in helping schools adapt to these changes?
28:19- What impact could getting school meals right have on children, schools and society?
30:48- Quick fire questions
35:30- Outro