From schools and hospitals to universities, care settings and the armed forces, the Public Sector Catering Award series will showcase the people helping to shape the future of public sector catering.
Designed and led by head of nutrition Valentina De Pascale, it aims to embed evidence-based nutrition, education and behaviour change into the everyday life of schools, promoting ‘eating for health’ while delivering measurable improvements in meal uptake, engagement and pupil outcomes across all school settings.
The results are clear. Across Palmer & Howells schools, the programme has delivered an average 18% increase in school lunch uptake, a 17% increase in breakfast uptake, and a 12%–14% reduction in plate waste, reflecting improved acceptance and consumption.
Traditional school food provision is a transactional model, focused primarily on compliance, speed of service and familiarity. With Valentina’s leadership, Fuelling Potential has replaced this approach with a whole-school, preventative and performance-driven nutrition model, integrating food provision with education, culture change and long-term partnership working.
The programme features evidence-based menus designed by nutritionists, expert-led pupil assemblies and age-specific workshops, practical dining-room interventions such as ‘Tasting Tables’, as well as parental engagement resources and guidance.
In Early Years settings lunchtime provision has been transformed to include daily access to homemade sourdough bread, fresh fruit and vegetable crudités, natural yoghurt, and composite salads.
Elsewhere the previous reliance on ultra-processed foods has been reduced, sugary drinks removed, ultra-high processed foods cut by 75%, and refined carbohydrates replaced with wholemeal or 50/50 alternatives.
Breakfast provision has been with pastries and sugary cereals replaced by Greek yoghurt bars with berries, wholewheat cereals, freshly sliced and whole fruit, wholegrain toast, and poached and scrambled eggs.
Water stations are now mandatory, and nutritionally balanced jacket potatoes with wholesome toppings are offered daily.
A central aim of Fuelling Potential is to help pupils understand why food choices matter, and Valentina plays a key role in delivering engaging, age-appropriate assemblies and workshops nationwide.
A standout element of the programme is Fuelling Female Health, which addresses a critical gap in traditional school nutrition education. The workshop explores female physiology and hormonal cycles, and their impact on appetite, mood, sleep, recovery, strength and coordination.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with pupils reporting increased confidence, understanding and wellbeing, while parental engagement has reinforced learning beyond the school gate.
Headteachers have also highlighted the programme’s wider impact on school culture, engagement and trust, saying that the lunchtime ‘Tasting Tables’ in particular have played a role in encouraging adventurous eating, reducing food anxiety and increasing acceptance of vegetables and unfamiliar dishes. Embedding education directly into the dining environment has made pupils more confident, curious and engaged.
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