The Government is consulting on its update to the School Food Standards legislative framework. Amongst the DfE's ideas for reforming this hugely important sector is a plan to appoint a dedicated governor in each school to oversee food and to help ensure that nutrition, meal quality and food education receive the attention they deserve.
Schools play a vital role in shaping lifelong eating habits, yet ultimate responsibility for food provision is often spread across several areas, meaning it can lack clear leadership and accountability. A named governor would provide a focal point for oversight, helping schools prioritise healthy eating, monitor standards and ensure that food policies support pupils’ wellbeing and educational outcomes.
In practice, a food governor would work alongside school leaders, catering providers and staff to review meal quality, uptake of school meals and compliance with nutritional standards. They could also champion initiatives such as breakfast clubs, food education, cooking skills and links with local producers. Regular reporting to the governing body would help ensure that food remains part of wider discussions about attendance, attainment, health and safeguarding. During re-contracting, the governor would participate in the procurement process.
For academy trusts, the model could operate at both local and trust level. Each school could appoint a governor with responsibility for food, while the trust board designates a lead trustee to oversee food strategy across all schools. This would allow trusts to share best practice, negotiate high standards with catering providers and monitor performance consistently. Local governors could raise issues specific to their communities, while the trust-level lead ensures a strategic approach.
A trust-wide approach to food governance can be particularly effective in Multi Academy Trusts, where decisions about catering, procurement and supplier contracts are often made centrally. By appointing a trustee with responsibility for food, trusts can ensure that nutritional standards, meal quality and pupil wellbeing are considered strategically across all schools. This creates a clear point of accountability and helps ensure that food is given the same level of oversight as finance, safeguarding or educational standards.
Food governance at trust level would also make it easier to measure performance and share best practice. Trust boards could receive regular reports on school meal uptake, pupil satisfaction, free school meal participation and compliance with nutritional standards. Where one school develops a successful breakfast club, healthy eating programme or local sourcing initiative, that experience can be shared across the trust. This allows academy trusts to use their scale to improve food provision while still responding to the needs of individual school communities.
By creating a clear line of accountability, food governors will help schools move beyond simply providing meals and towards promoting healthier lifestyles, improving pupil wellbeing and supporting better educational outcomes. In so doing, they will ensure that food is recognised as a core part of the school experience rather than an afterthought.
The consultation closes on 12th June.
