Food for Life Served Here, who certify 90% of school caterers in Lancashire, celebrate anniversary
Last week the industry-leading catering certification scheme, which is a part of the Soil Association, celebrated 15 years of getting better food onto the nation’s plates.
Currently, 90% of school caterers in Lancashire are Food for Life Served Here certified, meaning children in 385 schools across the county enjoy healthy and sustainable meals. These meals are freshly prepared, prioritise local and seasonal food, and only serve high welfare produce such as free-range eggs and fish from the Marine Conservation Society’s ‘good fish guide’.
With 64% of the calories in an average UK school meal made up of ultra-processed foods, Food for Life certified meals have been bucking the ultra-processed trend for years by serving up meals that are at least 75% cooked from scratch.
Food for Life Served Here’s anniversary event, held at London City Hall on March 27, brought together caterers, local authorities and policy makers from across the food system to celebrate this milestone
Prue Leith, a long-time supporter of Food for Life, gave a keynote speech, sharing:“I have been a fan of Food for Life from its startup… I feel very proud of the fact that I was in there right at the start… Huge congratulations to you all I really do think you do a fantastic job, I just wish there were lots more of you and I wish we had more support from above.”
Joanne McCartney, Deputy Mayor for London, gave a speech, sharing: “It is a real pleasure to be among caterers who are prioritising the health of our children. I admire your dedication. I see first-hand how food shapes the future of our children. Fostering a positive relationship with food at an early age is incredibly important… I’m really delighted to be here to commemorate 15 years of Food for Life Served Here. We’ve made great progress but there is a lot more to be done.”
Food for Life has been commissioned by Lancashire County Council to work with schools and settings in the area to make good food the norm. In 2025, 110 settings across the county are enrolled with the Food for Life programme.