Over half of parents (55%) are concerned about their child's diet, and nearly all (96%) want their child to learn to cook at school. For National School Meals Week, we helped the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) put the biggest report to date on parents' views of school meals on air, raising awareness of the healthy options in schools today. The chair of LACA and the organiser of National School Meals Week took part in a day of radio and TV interviews, encouraging more families to take up school meals. The broadcast PR campaign secured 30 items of radio and TV coverage reaching 5.8 million, including BBC Points West, BBC Radio Leeds and BBC Radio Lancashire.
30Items of coverage
5.8 millionCombined reach
3h 40mTime on air
Coverage highlights
BBC Points WestTV
BBC Radio LeedsBBC radio
BBC Radio LancashireBBC radio
BBC Radio NorfolkBBC radio
BBC Radio ManchesterBBC radio
BBC Radio CumbriaBBC radio
BBC Radio TeesBBC radio
The story
Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), National School Meals Week
The aim
Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) wanted to encourage more school meal take-up by raising awareness of the healthy options available in schools today.
The message
National School Meals Week is Britain's biggest healthy eating awareness week about school meals, encouraging everyone to get involved in promoting healthy school dinners and making healthy eating fun for pupils.
The angle
The biggest report to date on parents' views of school meals found young people averaged 3.25 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and over half of parents (55%) were concerned about their child's diet. Nearly all (96%) wanted their child to learn to cook at school.
On air
The chair of LACA and the organiser of National School Meals Week
The result
30 items of coverage reaching 5.8 million, including BBC Points West, BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC Radio Norfolk.
About National School Meals Week
National School Meals Week is an annual promotion of nutritious school lunches, organised by LACA, The School Food People, which describes it as running for over 30 years. It encourages pupils and parents to choose a hot school lunch. The 2022 week ran from 7 to 11 November. It gives producers a reason to cover the subject, and brands with a credible spokesperson a way onto radio and TV.
Planning National School Meals Week for 2026?
National School Meals Week usually runs in November; the 2026 dates have not been confirmed. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
