School Catering Procurement Cannot Wait Until September 2027

On 29 October, the Government published the findings from the feasibility pilot used to develop the updated School Food Standards.

Much of the attention will naturally fall on what pupils may see on the menu. More fruit, vegetables and fibre. Fewer foods high in fat, sugar and salt. New requirements for breakfast and changes to drinks, desserts and grab and go provision.

For school business leaders, however, one of the most important findings sits behind the menu changes.

None of the participating schools fully implemented all the proposed standards. The short planning and procurement timetable was identified as one of the main reasons.

That matters because September 2027 is the proposed implementation date. It is not the date on which schools should begin preparing.

The timetable is part of the challenge

During the pilot, schools were given the proposals during the first half of the autumn term and asked to serve the revised menus during the second half.

Caterers told researchers they needed around 12 months to develop recipes and menus, source suitable ingredients and introduce changes gradually. Schools also needed time to consider equipment, staff knowledge, pupil response and the practical limitations of their existing service.

The pilot was deliberately testing feasibility within a limited period. Even so, it provides a useful warning for schools preparing catering procurements now.

A contract beginning in September 2027 will need to reflect the updated standards from the outset. The work required to create that contract must happen much earlier.

The Department for Education is already advising schools to review their menus, contracts and procurement arrangements and to discuss the proposed changes with their catering provider.

A compliance clause will not be enough

It may be tempting to deal with the changes by inserting a requirement into the specification stating that the successful caterer must comply with the School Food Standards.

That does not address the real procurement challenge.

A supplier must be able to explain how the standards will be delivered within the school’s facilities, staffing arrangements, budget and service model. The school also needs to understand how compliance will be monitored and what evidence it will receive throughout the contract.

The proposed standards apply to food across the school day, not only the main lunchtime menu. Breakfast, break time provision, vending and grab and go services may all need to be considered.

Responsibility cannot simply be passed to the caterer. The contract needs to make clear what the provider will deliver, how performance will be measured and how the school or trust will retain proper oversight.

The operational details will decide whether reform works

The pilot found that some schools struggled to source products that would support compliant menus, including higher fibre options and reduced fat cheese. Caterers expected some of these difficulties to reduce as supply chains adjusted, but that will take time.

Kitchen space and equipment also affected what schools could prepare. Some catering teams needed additional skills and training while secondary schools faced particular difficulties because of their reliance on grab and go food.

These findings show why a catering procurement cannot be designed around menus alone.

The specification must reflect what the kitchen can realistically produce, whether investment is needed and how the supplier will support staff through the change. Product availability, substitutions, recipe development and supply chain resilience will all affect the service pupils ultimately receive.

Pupil acceptance matters as well. Removing familiar items without suitable alternatives can affect satisfaction, meal uptake and food waste. A technically compliant menu that pupils do not choose will not deliver the intended outcome.

The financial position is not yet settled

The pilot report states that the cost and waste implications of a fully compliant menu remain unclear.

Food costs increased by between 6p and 20p per meal in some participating schools, particularly those piloting several standards at once. The increases were mainly linked to higher fibre products, reduced fat cheese, low fat and low sugar yoghurt and replacing traditional desserts with more fruit. Some of the pilot proposals were subsequently amended, so this should not be interpreted as a forecast of the final cost to every school.

This is important. Schools should not assume that the updated standards can simply be absorbed within an existing price or service arrangement without detailed discussion.

Changes to ingredients, recipes, staffing, training and equipment may all affect cost. At the same time, a poorly planned introduction could reduce uptake or increase waste, placing further pressure on the catering account.

Schools need a clear understanding of their current catering finances before they approach the market. That includes the meal price, subsidies, staffing costs, uptake, contract performance and any investment expected from the incoming provider.

Tender evaluation must then look beyond the lowest headline price. Schools need to test whether each proposal is credible, properly resourced and capable of being delivered throughout the contract.

Start with the existing service

Before deciding what the next catering contract should contain, schools need an honest picture of the service they have now.

Contract expiry dates, extension options and notice periods should be checked first. Performance information should then be reviewed alongside meal uptake, costs, staffing, food quality, compliance reporting and the condition of the kitchen.

This work may identify problems that need to be addressed through a new procurement. It may also reveal strengths that should be protected rather than lost when the specification is rewritten.

Simply repeating the existing contract and adding the new standards would miss the opportunity to ask whether the current service still meets the needs of the school.

Schools do not need to wait for every final detail

The updated School Food Standards remain subject to Parliamentary approval and further guidance is expected during the autumn term.

Schools should therefore be careful not to describe every proposal as final legislation. However, there is already enough information to begin meaningful preparation.

The Government’s direction is clear. Schools have been told to review their contracts and procurement arrangements. The pilot has identified where implementation became difficult. Example menus and supporting resources are now available to help schools and caterers understand the scale of the change.

Waiting for the final regulations before checking contract dates, reviewing the existing service or beginning discussions with the current provider would waste valuable preparation time.

Procurement is where policy becomes practice

The success of the updated School Food Standards will not be determined by policy alone. It will depend on whether schools, caterers and suppliers have enough time to turn the requirements into a service that works each day.

For schools with catering contracts ending in summer 2027, that process should already be under way.

ACE Advice provides independent support with school catering contract reviews and school food procurement , helping schools and multi academy trusts understand their current service and prepare for the decisions ahead.