A nutritionist’s view of the school food industry
Meg Hughes, Director of Nutrition and Sustainability at Chartwells • May 11, 2022
Meg is a registered nutritionist, qualified in Food Nutrition and Public Health Nutrition. Since graduating from university in 2012, Meg has worked in the school food industry supporting children from nursery through to university life. She is recognised as an expert in young people’s nutrition and wellbeing; Meg is a member of the school food advisory board and a former trustee for the Children’s Food Trust.
What is your role?
I started my nutrition career with Chartwells as a graduate and have worked there ever since. I have been lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to progress through the organisation and now lead the nutrition, allergens and sustainability strategies for the organisation.
How many schools do you support?
Chartwells operates in over 2000 schools, feeding children from 4-18 years old. We operate a mixture of primary schools, secondary schools and independent day and boarding schools.
What is your key role when working with schools?
It’s a mixture. My team and I always aim to put annual plans in place with schools to drive their health and wellbeing agenda. We make mutual commitments around food and nutrition education delivery, the food offer, pupil and parent engagement and offer market leading support with allergens.
I receive requests for sustainability road maps more now than ever, which is excellent!
Of course, feeding pupils nutritious and delicious food is the primary focus of Chartwells and my team and I ensure the offer is inclusive and nutritionally sound. In addition to the food served on the plate, we reach thousands of pupils and engage hundreds of parents every month through our award-winning Beyond The Chartwells Kitchen programme. Our educational sessions link directly to the curriculum and are focused around nutrition; mental and physical wellbeing; health; food; and sustainability.
Do you think food education is important in schools?
One in three children leave primary school overweight or obese and although the food industry has a huge part to play in terms of reformulation, education is extremely important. Children and young adults are faced with choice every day, whether that’s at schools, at home, in their packed lunches or on the high street. Our education sessions help to encourage children to appreciate the long-term health benefits of consuming a balanced diet from a young age.
What do you love most about your job?
It’s simple; every day I can make a difference. I work closely with thousands of children every year and quite often connect with families too. Being able to provide nutrition and recipe advice to families and children knowing it’ll make a big difference is a huge privilege. I am also extremely lucky to work alongside fantastic chefs; we’ve developed over 100 cook-a-long videos aimed at young children as part of our mission to get children and families cooking more at home!
Do you deliver training to catering teams to support them in their day job?
Ensuring all team members are well trained is paramount; not just for nutrition and allergens but we pride ourselves on amazing health and safety training as well as food safety and culinary training. However, we do have some extremely talented and passionate cooks and catering managers in our school kitchens….they often teach me a thing or two!
Do you encourage schools to buy British?
I am a huge advocate of sourcing British produce and a supporter of the Food For Life scheme that has been implemented in many schools across the country. I also recognise the environmental impact that #BuyingBritish can have in terms of food miles, welfare standards and quality assurance.
Where did your interest in food come from?
Food is not just functional, it creates memories and stories in the minds of young people. Educating young people on how and where food is grown and produced has become increasingly important to me over the years, initiated by the fact that I grew up in a family fruit and vegetable business, proud to have sourced British produce wherever possible.
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