The newly published Follow the Carrot report, authored by food and farming campaign group Sustain, consultancy Bremner & Co, and the Ampney Brook Foundation, explores how the expansion of free school meals (FSM) could reshape both children’s health and the UK’s food economy.

The research sets out a compelling economic opportunity: if England moved to universal FSM, school meal volumes would rise from 1 billion to over 1.5 billion annually. That uplift could be worth more than £600 million to UK producers, with demand for staple ingredients like carrots, potatoes and broccoli rising by as much as 54%.

As one local authority caterer put it: “For every pound we spend, it’s worth three within our local communities.”

The conditional opportunity

But the report warns that this opportunity will only be realised if procurement practices evolve. Producers voiced real concerns about current pressures: “potato farmers are actively exiting the market... we can’t afford British potatoes anymore,” said one supplier. Another added: “Price is probably the main factor... there’s no point going to the local authority, because they’re just looking for the cheapest price.”. Another supplier was even blunter: “There’s no way school children [are] going to be eating any British beef in the next two years.”

The barriers are familiar: funding levels that don’t reflect real costs, a procurement system often skewed towards lowest price, and opaque data that makes it hard to track spend.

Where frameworks can help

This is where public procurement reform becomes vital. The report highlights the Crown Commercial Service’s Buying Better Food and Drink framework, delivered by Entegra, as an example of how government is starting to rewire the system.

The framework aims to:

• Open up contracts to SMEs and regional producers by breaking down barriers that have traditionally favoured large suppliers.
• Embed sustainability and provenance by aligning with Government Buying Standards and climate goals.
• Increase transparency so schools, caterers and policymakers can see where food is sourced and how budgets are spent.
• Create flexibility through dynamic procurement models that allow buyers to choose seasonal produce from their region instead of being locked into rigid contracts.

By simplifying access and placing more emphasis on creating a more agile, equitable marketplace in public sector food, the ambition is to give caterers the tools to support UK producers without sacrificing efficiency.

Entegra’s view

With FSM eligibility expanding in 2026 to all children in households receiving Universal Credit, new public spend is about to flow into the system. The risk is that it gets absorbed into cheaper imports and processed food. The opportunity is to direct it through frameworks that prioritise British produce and strengthen domestic supply chains.

At Entegra, we see this alignment between policy ambition and procurement reform as crucial. “School food spend has the power to drive real change. By combining policy ambition with practical frameworks, we can deliver healthier meals for pupils, more secure markets for producers and greater value for the public purse.” said Clare O’Brien, Head of Operations – Public Sector, Entegra.

To learn more about how the Buying Better Food and Drink framework can support your organisation, click here or drop us a message via Live Chat and one of our team will be back in touch shortly. 

Read the full ‘Follow the Carrot’ report here.