Creed Foodservice launches UK’s first ever ‘Brain Food’ school menu

One of the UK’s largest independent wholesalers, Creed Foodservice, has partnered with a renowned dietitian to launch the UK’s first ever ‘Brain Food’ school menu, as it’s revealed two thirds (64%) of parents worry about their child’s eating habits at school*.

 

The menu is launched as new research by the wholesaler reveals an overwhelming majority (96%) of parents say they would welcome their child’s school offering a menu that provides dishes rich in nutrients that support brain function, a sentiment shared by 76% of those who work in state secondary schools.

 

Creed Foodservice, which has over 50 years’ experience working within the education sector, has partnered with registered Dietitian Juliette Kellow to co-create the Brain Food menu with Creed’s team of Development Chefs, which is aimed at secondary schools.

 

Just 14% of parents say their child always eats well at school. This is resulting in significant missed revenue opportunities for state schools, as nearly three quarters (72%) of parents whose children take a packed lunch say they would encourage their child to buy lunch from school more often if there were more nutritious options on the menu.

 

Anna Clapson, Insights Manager at Creed Foodservice, says: “We wanted to understand what those on the frontline – who are with the children every day, whether that’s at home or at school – are seeing. And it’s clear how strongly linked nutrition and learning are; 94% of people who work in a state secondary school agree that pupils who consume nutritious, filling food and drink before and during school learn better.

 

“If pupils don’t eat something nutritious and filling before or during school, 83% say concentration is affected negatively, followed by mood and energy levels (77%), behaviour (75%) and ability to learn (69%). It’s not only classroom-based activity that is affected, 65% said physical health (such as headaches and stomach pain), sport (41%) and interaction with peers (39%), are also impacted negatively. If this is happening consistently, week in and week out, the overall effect on learning outcomes becomes substantial.”

 

Creed’s new Brain Food menu includes breakfast and lunch options, along with a smoothie station. Each recipe is packed full of ingredients that have a part to play in brain function, as well as offering nutrients for all aspects of wellbeing for teenagers, such as providing energy for playing sport and supporting cognitive function for music or drama lessons.

 

Breakfast dishes include Mexican Omelette Taco with black beans, guacamole and salsa, which provides many B vitamins, which are important for psychological wellbeing, and Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats, providing a source of iodine, which supports cognitive function. Lunch dishes include grab and go options such as Loaded Sweet Potato Wedges topped with a beef and lentil Chilli Con Carne or Spanish Potatoes with Spinach, Chicken and Chorizo, both high in iron and copper, Salmon and Broccoli pasta in a light cream cheese sauce providing DHA, an essential omega-3 fat needed for normal brain function, and a Posh Pot Noodle with chicken and vegetables in a miso broth, which provides potassium, copper, B vitamins and vitamin C, all needed for the nervous system, of which the brain is the control centre.

 

Rob Owen, Executive Business Development Chef at Creed Foodservice, who co-created the menu, says: “Half the battle for schools isn’t just encouraging children to eat the right food at breakfast and lunchtime, it’s getting them to eat a proper meal full stop. Our findings show that pupils’ main priority at lunchtime is socialising with their friends and 48% of parents told us their child skips breakfast at least one school day every week. No one can function well if they don’t have any fuel inside of them.

 

“Given the rise of street food, the popularity of global cuisine and changing behaviour, pupils are seeking more innovation from their food choices. Equally they are favouring eating on-the-go, with a third (33%) of state school pupils choosing to grab a quick snack on their lunchbreak as opposed to just 20% physically sitting down and eating a meal in the canteen area.

 

“The challenge for schools is how they marry what pupils want with budgets and standards. We’ve done the legwork for them – our Brain Food menu offers dishes in formats that pupils want to eat, that are cost-effective and are simple to prepare and serve.”

 

Juliette Kellow, registered dietitian, says: “The impact of nutrition on brain function is huge, affecting children not only at school, but at home, too. There are many nutrients – from carbohydrates, DHA (an omega-3 fat) and iron to zinc, iodine and a range of B vitamins – that help to keep the brain working at its best, whether that’s through contributing to cognitive and psychological function or supporting the nervous system.

 

“Creed’s new Brain Food menu is all HFSS compliant. None of the breakfast or main dishes have any red traffic lights either, so aren’t classified as ‘high’ in fat, saturates, sugars or salt. Hydration has also been closely considered as even mild dehydration can affect mental performance, so there are plenty of fruit and vegetables to support this.  I’m pleased to have been able to work on this menu, which is bold and innovative in its approach.”

 

The Balcarras Trust, a Multi-Academy Trust based in Gloucestershire, looks to host a Brain Food menu trial with Creed to their 1,300-strong student cohort this term. Ian Cole, Head of Catering, says: “We welcome fresh and new ideas on how to enhance our food offering to pupils. Working with a wholesaler like Creed, who can pool their resources, knowledge and expertise into conducting research, developing new menus and sourcing products that help create compelling menu options for our pupils, is exactly why we choose to partner with them.”

 

Key Research Findings

 

People who work in state secondary schools

 

• A whopping 94% of people who work in state schools agree that pupils that consume nutritious and filling food and drink before and during school learn better.

 

• If a pupil doesn’t eat something nutritious and filling before or during school, respondents agreed the below was affected negatively:

	State Schools
Concentration	83%
Mood and energy levels	77%
Behaviour	75%
Ability to learn	69%
Physical health eg headaches, stomach pain	65%
Participation in lessons	64%
Taking part in sport	41%
Interaction with peers	39%
Participation in after-school clubs	28%

 

• Friends are more important than food, with eight out of 10 (77%) people who work in state schools saying pupils’ main priority at lunchtime is spending time socialising with their friends.

 

• Half (52%) said the priority at lunch time is spending time playing sports outside such as football on the school field.

 

• How pupils prioritise eating at lunchtime:
  • A third (33%) say pupils prioritise grabbing a quick snack on their lunch break.
  • Nearly three out of 10 (29%) say pupils prioritise getting a meal from the canteen in a takeaway format.
  • Just two out of 10 (20%) say pupils prioritise sitting down and eating a meal in the canteen area at lunchtime.

 

• Over three quarters of people who work in state schools (76%) think their school catering provision could be doing more to prioritise food that is good for brain function and supports learning.

 

 

Parents of secondary school aged children (aged 11-16 years old)

 

• Nearly half of parents (48%) say their child skips breakfast at least one school day every week. 14% say their child skips breakfast every school day.

 

• The divide between packed lunches and school lunches is fairly even, with 46% saying their child takes a packed lunch most often, and 48% saying their child buys their lunch from school most often. Only 5% say their child buys their lunch from a nearby shop.

 

• Nearly three quarters (72%) of parents who have children who take a packed lunch say they would encourage their child to buy lunch from school more often if there were more nutritious options on the menu.

 

• If their child hasn’t eaten nutritious, filling food at school, parents say it affects them when they get home:

 

• • They are hungry and fill up on convenient, easy-to-eat snacks (e.g. crisps, biscuits, sugary drinks) – 44%
  • They are ‘hangry’ (angry / grumpy due to hunger) – 42%
  • They have little energy – 35%
  • They communicate less than usual – 22%
  • They don’t concentrate on their homework very well – 21%
  • They are not as interested in taking part in their after-school activities and clubs – 12%

 

• Just 14% of parents say their child always eats well at school.

 

• Two thirds (64%) of parents say they worry about their child’s eating habits at school.

 

• Four out of ten parents (43%) say they either don’t know whether to trust, or don’t trust, their child’s school caterer to provide balanced, nutritious food that will support their child’s learning.

 

• An overwhelming 96% of parents would welcome their child’s school offering a menu that provides food dishes rich in nutrients that support brain function.

 

• Six out of 10 (60%) parents give their child a supplement. 

 

• The most popular supplements that parents give their children are Multivitamins and Minerals (37%), Vitamin D (23%) and Vitamin C (21%).

 

 

Rob Owen concludes: “It’s not just about the catering teams delivering the menu, it’s also about educating pupils on good food choices. Highlighting ingredients on menus so pupils understand how the food benefits them raises understanding of what nutrients they are putting in their bodies and encourages them to make better and more informed choices.”

 

To view Creed’s Brain Food menu please visit: https://www.creedfoodservice.co.uk/content/brainfood