Technical Notes 2022, Issue 135 - Soil Association UK, Food For Life Award

1. The purpose of this Technical Note is to advise Members of the progress made to date towards achieving the Food for Life Bronze Award.
    
2. Soil Association UK is a charitable organisation working to transform the way we eat, farm and care for our natural world.  It is the UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use.
   
   The Food for Life award is a programme created by the Soil Association UK and is a mechanism for schools and catering services to demonstrate the provision of healthy schools meals, positive lunchtime experiences and food education, which has a positive impact on both pupils and the wider community.
    
3. There are three levels of Food for Life awards; Bronze, Silver and Gold, which centre around four areas of development.

• Food Quality
• Food Leadership and Food Culture
• Food Education
• Community and Partnership

BRONZE AWARD CRITERIA

• Commit to improve school food culture by developing a school food policy.
• To meet Bronze Food for Life Served Here Award standards, which shows that school food is healthy and uses seasonal ingredients that are at least 75% freshly prepared.
• Involve pupils and parents in planning improvements to school menus and the lunchtime experience, boosting school meal take-up.
• Give every pupil the opportunity to visit a local farm, and take part in cooking and food growing activity.

SILVER AWARD CRITERIA

• Serve school meals on proper crockery, not plastic ‘flight trays’.
• To meet Silver Food for Life Served Here Standards which shows that school food is healthy, ethical, and uses some local and organic ingredients.
• Have a cooking club, where pupils get to cook with and eat the produce grown in the school growing area.
• Involve parents and the wider community to get involved in food education via food-themed events.
• Food is healthy, ethical, uses local ingredients and a minimum of 5% organic ingredients in menus.

GOLD AWARD CRITERIA

• Act as hubs for local communities, actively involving parents and community groups in cooking and growing activities.
• To meet Gold Food for Life Served Here standards which shows the food served is healthy, ethical, uses lots of local ingredients and is animal and climate friendly, including a minimum of 15% organic and 5% free range 
• Pupils choosing to eat a school meal is the norm.
• Are actively involved in the life of a local farm and active in planning and growing organic food for the school.
   

4. Progression through the award status commences with the Bronze award, progressing to Silver and finally Gold.  Facilities Management is in the process of applying for the Bronze Award and are actively engaging with the Soil Association to progress this application.
   
   The first stage is for the school lunch menu and product information to be analysed against the set criteria.  This has been undertaken and the menu meets the criteria.
   
   The next stage is related to supplier information and declaration.  All food suppliers are required to provide a declaration confirming all nutritional and allergen contents advertised on food products are correct.  This information has been verified and approved.
   
   The final stage involves a review of all information against ten criteria points.  This is currently in progress and it is anticipated verification will be confirmed by the end of September.
    
5. Following completion of the verification process, an award status will issued by the Soil Association.