Event Review

Arena’s Feeding the Future: Rethinking Catering in Education brought together operators, suppliers, wholesalers and sector experts at Kings Place, London, for a morning of insight, challenge and practical discussion on one of the most important areas of public sector foodservice.

The message from the event was clear: education catering is no longer just about feeding pupils and students. It is about supporting learning, wellbeing, nutrition, inclusion, sustainability, social value and community - all while working within extremely tight funding and operational constraints.

Following breakfast and networking, guests heard from Délifrance, IGD and a panel of leading education catering voices, chaired by Nicola Knight, Head of Away from Home at IGD.

Students want the fundamentals done well.

Stéphanie Brillouet, UK & I Marketing and Innovation Director at Délifrance, opened the insight sessions with a short overview of Délifrance’s Prove It: A Bitesize Guide to Education Catering, based on research with 500 students aged 16 to 24.

The research showed that student habits form early, often during the first term, making the opening weeks of the academic year a crucial window for university and college caterers.

Students are looking for four core things: taste, value, quality and convenience. Importantly, they do not see these as trade-offs. They expect food to be tasty, good value, fresh, consistent and easy to access.

Lunch was identified as the key occasion, with three-quarters of students buying food on campus at lunchtime. In a competitive environment where students compare campus catering with the high street, loyalty is built through consistency, trust and relevance.

IGD sets the scene

Nicola Knight then gave a detailed overview of the education market within the wider away-from-home sector.

Although education represents only around 3% of AFH F&B value, it accounts for around 13% of meals and 14% of outlets – it’s a low-value, high-volume and highly complex sector, with more than 47,000 outlets and around 1.24 billion meals served.

State schools dominate the market, accounting for the majority of meals served. Nicola highlighted that policy changes to free school meal eligibility are expected to add around 100 million more school meals a year once fully implemented. However, declining birth rates mean pupil numbers are expected to fall over time, creating a more complex long-term picture.

The sector is also operating against a difficult economic backdrop. Food inflation, supply chain pressures and squeezed household budgets are all affecting caterers, families and suppliers. At the same time, schools are dealing with complex nutritional standards, allergen management, sustainability expectations, labour challenges, technology requirements and changing regulation.

Funding remains one of the biggest issues. England continues to have the lowest level of school meal funding across the home nations, and while the rate is increasing, the panel later made clear that it is still not enough to meet the scale of what the sector is being asked to deliver.

School meals have never mattered more

The panel discussion brought together Tracey Smith, CEO, Schools & Universities, Sodexo UK & Ireland; Meg Hughes, Director of Nutrition and Sustainability, Compass Education; Luke Consiglio, Founder and CEO, The Pantry; and Deborah Batchelor, Managing Director and Owner, Stir Food.

What followed was a frank and passionate discussion about the role of school meals today, and why their importance reaches far beyond the dining hall.

The panel was united in its view that school catering is a fundamental part of the school day. At its best, it helps children learn, supports wellbeing, introduces pupils to new foods and provides a point of care and consistency within the school community. For some children, it may also be the best meal they receive that day.

That role has become even more critical in the context of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Families remain under pressure, and school meals are increasingly part of the safety net. As Luke warned, the sector has worked hard over the past decade to improve standards and shift perceptions, but without the right funding, that progress could quickly be eroded.

The discussion also highlighted the people behind the service. Catering teams are often trusted adults within the school environment. They know pupils by name, understand welfare needs and provide reassurance, care and connection, as well as food. School catering, in that sense, is not simply a foodservice function, it is part of the wider school community.

A sector being asked to do more

The panel also made clear how significantly the role of education caterers has changed. Operators are now expected to deliver not only meals, but nutrition support, allergen management, sustainability plans, food education, social value, procurement compliance and wider community engagement.

Much of this sits in the category of ‘added value’, but the discussion suggested it is increasingly essential value. Food education sessions, nutritionist support, classroom engagement, climate action planning and allergen expertise are now central to what many schools need from their catering partners.

The challenge is that these expectations are growing at the same time as budgets are tightening. Operators cannot simply pass rising costs on to schools, which are themselves under pressure. That means caterers are having to think differently about menus, labour, formats, supply chains and service models, while still protecting quality and uptake.

Social value was also discussed as something that needs to be meaningful at school level, not just a generic corporate commitment. The most effective initiatives are those shaped around the needs of individual school communities, whether that means food education, volunteering, pupil engagement or practical life skills.

What is working

Despite the scale of the challenge, the panel shared a number of examples of where the sector is making progress.

In primary schools, simplicity remains key. Parents want to understand what is on the plate, children need food that feels familiar, and kitchen teams need menus that can be delivered consistently and efficiently. The best results often come from improving familiar dishes rather than replacing them entirely.

In secondary schools, the challenge is different. Pupils are influenced by the high street and expect more of a retail-style experience. Grab-and-go, bowl food, customisation, bolder flavours and digital ordering all have a role to play, particularly where lunch breaks are short and caterers need to serve high volumes quickly.

The panel also discussed the value of improving nutrition without making dishes feel unfamiliar. This might mean adding vegetables, beans, pulses or fibre into popular recipes (as is currently being done by many caterers), or using menu design and counter layout to nudge pupils towards better choices. The point is not to lecture children into eating better, but to make healthier choices easy, appealing and realistic.

As the panel made clear, uptake matters. The most nutritionally balanced meal in the world achieves very little if children will not eat it. Or, as Luke put it, there is “no nourishment if the child is not eating it.”

New standards, real-world challenges

The proposed new school food standards were one of the biggest topics of the morning. The panel supported the ambition to improve children’s health, but raised serious questions about implementation, cost and the risk of unintended consequences.

The central concern was operational reality. Secondary school catering in particular depends on fast, efficient service models that can feed large numbers of pupils in very short lunch windows. Any changes to standards must take account of how schools actually operate, not just what looks right on paper.

Packed lunches were another major concern. If school meals are held to tighter nutritional standards but packed lunches are not, caterers may find themselves competing against crisps, chocolate and convenience foods from home. That risks pushing pupils away from school meals altogether, undermining the very health outcomes the standards are trying to achieve.

The panel also stressed the need for time. Operators and suppliers will need to reformulate, test, communicate and implement changes properly. Previous changes to school food standards show that the sector can adapt, but only with collaboration, clear communication and an implementation plan that reflects the realities of kitchens, lunch breaks, budgets and pupils’ tastes.

Advice to suppliers

The panel had clear advice for suppliers looking to work successfully in education.

Start conversations early - operators need visibility of reformulation, specification changes and product development well before new standards take effect.
Understand the school environment - suppliers should visit schools, watch a secondary lunch rush for example, see how products perform in real service conditions.
Reformulate intelligently - higher-fibre breads for example, compliant grab-and-go products, versatile ingredients and healthier familiar formats will all be needed - but crucially children still have to want to eat them.
Be clear on allergens - operators need accurate information, early warning of recipe changes and practical labelling. Unnecessary allergens and broad ‘may contain’ warnings can make products unusable for pupils with allergies.
Help with cost and labour - products that reduce kitchen complexity, protect quality and support compliance will be valuable in a sector where both money and time are under pressure.
Bring insight, not just products - operators need data on uptake, waste, nutrition, cost, allergens and sustainability.
Most importantly, use your voice - suppliers, operators and industry bodies need to work together to make the case for proper funding and realistic implementation.

Arena’s Feeding the Future showed a sector with enormous purpose, pride and resilience. But it also showed that ambition alone is not enough. Better school food needs collaboration, investment and practical solutions that work in the real world.

Thank you to Laura Ness, Senior Consultant, William Murray PR & Marketing for this event review.