To mark National School Meals Week in the UK, the Food Matters Live podcast is making a series of episodes looking at the challenges around providing nutritious food for our children in the school canteen.

In the last episode, we heard from the school caterer’s trade body LACA, about the challenges they are facing from rising costs and supply chain issues.

There is no denying the difficulties being faced by school meal providers, but are there some innovative solutions out there?

In this episode we meet Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive of the charity School Food Matters. 

Look out for the next episode, where we hear from a researcher, who has studied the important role school meals can play in a child’s learning.

Stephanie Slater, Chief Executive and Founder, School Food Matters

Stephanie Slater is Founder and Chief Executive at School Food Matters. 

She set up the charity in 2007 after successfully campaigning to improve the food at her children’s primary school.  

In 2012, she was invited to join the School Food Plan's expert panel, tasked by the Department of Education to create an action plan to help head teachers improve school food.

Ten years on, Stephanie has brought together leading charities in the School Food Review, a group calling on government to reform school food funding and policy so that no child misses out on good nutrition at school.

Stephanie is vice-chair of Sustain; the alliance for better food and farming, a trustee of Alexandra Rose Charity and a member of the London Food Board.