The program is funded by Sheffield City Council and works in Primary, Secondary and Special schools across the region to promote healthier eating in both the canteen and classroom.
Beck Primary School is the 110th school to enrol on the Food for Life Schools Award programme, delivered as part of the Eat Smart Sheffield programme, and part of a city wide strategy to improve nutrition and food education across the city.
Sheffield Programme Manager Lisa Aldwin said the campaign began in 2019 and was due to run for five years, but she hopes the council will renew the program in August so they can continue their work.
She said: “When we started we were targeting schools in more deprived areas of the city because that’s where we felt the need was most for this but it soon became obvious that schools from across the city wanted to take part.
“We were never going to turn them away. Any school that wants to engage with us can do, the more the merrier.”
Although the scheme was initially aimed specifically at helping schools in deprived areas learn about nutrition and healthy eating, it is now running in around 70% of Sheffield primary schools working and the organisation is working with parents in the local community.
Miss Aldwin said: “They’re the ones who are making the decisions around what the children are eating and what they’re buying.
“The cost of living isn’t helping either and we know that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy foods. I think everyone knows you should be eating your 5 fruit and veg a day but in reality not everybody can afford it.”
The program also works with Food for Life, an organisation that works to deliver school awards for food education and culture.
Schools can submit evidence of their food provision, culture and education to the organisation to achieve a bronze, silver or gold award and over 30 schools across Sheffield have achieved their bronze awards so far with the rest continuing to work towards this.
