Celebrating 15 years of Newham Eat for Free – Newham Council

Pupils, teachers, school cooks and Newham council are celebrating 15 years of Eat for Free in Newham. The scheme has ensured that every primary school child, regardless of family income, is provided with a nutritious hot lunch since 2009.

The milestone was marked with a school lunch party at Curwen Primary School in Plaistow. Newham Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care and Lead Member for Children and Young People joined pupils and teachers to reflect on the progress made, and consider how the scheme can be developed further.

Councilor Neil Wilson, Cabinet Member for Adult Health and Social Care; and Councilor Sarah Ruiz, Lead Member for Children and Young People, said:

“We are delighted and extremely proud to be celebrating 15 years of Newham’s Eat for Free – the UK’s longest running universal meals programme. We have made it a priority to serve free, hot, nutritious meals to our youth every day, and we will continue to do so.

“The scheme is hugely important to us and we continue to develop it in partnership with our local schools. The scheme is also important in terms of the sustainable sources of food used, the important role of educating our children about healthy eating and employing a local workforce, the overwhelming majority of whom live in Newham and receive the London Living Wage.

“The feedback from our children is that they enjoy the range of meals they are served each day and the food they eat has a positive impact on them in the classroom. We look forward to celebrating our next milestone of powering the next generation in Newham.”

What started in Newham 15 years ago is now available to all primary school children in London with the launch of a capital-wide universal meals scheme in September 2023. This year, as part of this work, the mayor of London contributes significantly to the cost of Eat For Free delivery in Newham. Nationally, only infants and those in families receiving certain benefits receive a free meal.

More than five million meals are served every year in Newham’s primary schools. High levels of participation make school meals a thriving community wealth-building industry in the borough, with the scheme’s funding terms ensuring jobs are at the London Living Wage and other improved terms and conditions.

When Newham Council announced its Pilot Strategy for the introduction of Universal Free School Meals in 2009, a key consideration was to ensure that all stakeholders were aware of the changes. Since then, the local authority has worked closely with schools to ensure changes are properly implemented, feedback is always taken into account and key challenges are addressed together. Over the past five years, the pioneering program has also focused on developing grant conditions and principles which have seen Newham primary schools work to deliver whole school approaches to food, including food cultivation and literacy.



Ben Levinson OBE, Chief Executive, Kensington Primary School (part of Tapscott Learning Trust), said:


“Newham’s investment in Eat for Free has blazed a trail that others are now starting to follow.


“At The Tapscott Learning Trust, we prioritize the health and happiness of our children. For all our children, having a free, nutritious and hot meal is crucial to their health, learning and development.


“We know that children who eat well learn better, have better attendance and are better able to regulate themselves emotionally. As such, Eat for Free supports our overall investment in children’s well-being.”


Research shows that eating a balanced, nutritious meal at lunch can improve concentration and behavior during the afternoon. As well as improving the quality of a child’s diet and health, the data also suggests that free universal school meals increase achievement, attendance and increase a child’s lifetime earnings.


By serving hot and nutritious meals every day at no cost, the scheme also provides more security for families saving on food costs. Research suggests the extension saves families around £500 per child each year. This is particularly important in Newham as, according to the data, half of all children in the area are believed to be living in poverty. The figures also show that just under a quarter of children in Newham are food insecure, meaning they regularly miss meals or go hungry – underlining the impact the scheme is having in Newham’s primary schools.



Stephanie Slater, founder and chief executive of School Food Matters, said:

“Eat Free is so much more than a meal for all children in Newham. It’s a joined-up approach that targets children’s health and performance and creates a school meal system that has the greatest possible impact on the local food economy.”


The district’s award-winning school meals provider, Juniper Ventures, prepares and serves over 200,000 meals daily to nearly 60 primary and secondary schools in Newham. Juniper is among the top five local authority controlled caterers in London, with 75% of primary schools in Newham choosing this service.