100% organic fruit and veg trialled in Hackney schools

Children in two Hackney schools can look forward to consuming 100% organic fruit and veg until May 2025 under a new pilot scheme being trialled by Growing Communities and Sustain’s Bridging the Gap campaign.

The Hackney Organic School Food project aims to illustrate how school meals can be made healthier and more sustainable with the inclusion of organic fresh produce; to support local farms with new routes to market; to educate children on the benefits of nature-friendly food and farming; and to show first-hand ‘where food comes from’ with school trips to Growing Communities’ organic growing sites in Hackney.

The pilot forms part of Sustain’s nationwide Bridging the Gap series, highlighting the policies and financial mechanisms needed to ‘reduce barriers to planet-friendly food for people experiencing low incomes’ and ‘enable everyone to enjoy a universally healthy, just and sustainable food system’.

Hannah Gibbs, Bridging the Gap programme manager, Sustain, says of the Hackney partnership: “Public sector food procurement is key to increasing access to organic for everyone. This pilot will help us to demonstrate the simple steps that can be taken to get us there.” 

Zosia Walczak, pilot lead at Growing Communities, adds that the scheme will demonstrate how schools and other public sector organizations can access climate-friendly food which ‘builds community wellbeing, reduces emissions and tackles waste from the farm level upwards, as well as generating more income for climate and nature-friendly farmers’. 

Lending his expertise to the pilot is head chef James Taylor who works across the participating primary schools — Sir Thomas Abney and Harrington Hill. In 2023 he switched 60% of his procurement away from conventional suppliers with no budgetary increase thanks to a predominantly plant-based menu which included low-cost pulses from Hodmedod. Now, thanks to the pilot and a steady supply via Growing Communities’ wholesale arm, the Better Food Shed, Taylor has been able to increase the quantity of organic fruit and veg used in his school menus to 100%.

“It’s been one of my dreams to be able to use affordable, locally farmed organic produce in my primary schools and thanks to Growing Communities, it’s finally happening,” he says.

Speaking on behalf of Hackney Council, sustainability and climate service group manager Ander Zabala comments: “We are incredibly proud that the Organic School Food project is being pioneered in Hackney by Growing Communities and Bridging the Gap, setting a new standard for sustainable school meals. By integrating sustainable food into our schools, we can build a healthier future for our students and our community. This type of project helps Hackney Council in its dedication to sustainable food purchasing, reducing emissions, and tackling food waste from the ground up.”

By Rosie Greenaway, editor