With the Local Authorities Caterers Association (LACA) conference approaching, the government guidelines for school meals now firmly in place and a revision set to be made in September, there has never been a more rousing time to be part of an industry which is playing such a pivotal role in the health of our next generation.

The guidelines outline the types of food that should be available from the four main food groups, along with the frequency with which they should be served. A large proportion is fruit and vegetables, with no less than one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables or salad, to be made available a day per child.

At Fresh Direct, there is a genuine passion in wanting to be a part of educating and encouraging the next generation to adopt a healthier eating lifestyle. We have teamed up with local schools, providing children with wholehead fruit, fresh-fruit bags and smoothies prior to their exams as an energy-boosting snack to aid studying and help to increase concentration levels.

With so much focus on 5 A DAY and the support shown by celebrity chefs, we have launched our own major initiative to help promote and educate healthy eating in the shape of the Fresh Direct Academy. The suite will allow local schools - and other groups - to visit and learn in a live environment. We have enjoyed great success with our Bicester development kitchen, and from this evolved the idea of a full academy in Manchester. Plans commence this winter and will encompass a suite three times the size of Bicester’s, a classroom, lecture theatre and other interactive spaces. The support and enthusiasm from Manchester City Council has been immense.

We regularly work alongside clients in developing new ideas. Our relationship with Sodexho has allowed us to contribute to initiatives they support in education, including the Macmillan-sponsored Charity Challenge, for which we supplied posters and flyers highlighting the nutritional value of fresh produce. We have also developed seasonal ideas to capture childrens’ imaginations.

We recently supported one of our suppliers, R&RW Bartlett’s - a family-based farm in Staffordshire - to give children the chance to explore produce they knew nothing or little about. The Bartlett farm, which specialises in root vegetables, invited 100 local school children, many of whom had never tasted a parsnip before, to visit. The children saw the journey of the parsnip from farm to fork and took home the ‘finished’ product and a packet of seeds to grow their own.

To comply with the new food standards, school caterers will need to increase the volume of fresh fruit and veg or salad they purchase. Our responsibility is not only to provide opportunities to enthuse and motivate children to eat fresh produce, but also to provide school caterers with the fresh quality produce needed to supply part of the children’s 5 A DAY.