Top 5 Catering Challenges Schools Face in 2025
School catering plays a crucial role in children’s health, learning, and wellbeing. A great school food culture can boost pupils’ academic performance and health outcomes. For many children, especially those from low-income families, a school lunch may be the only guaranteed nutritious meal of the day. In the evolving 2025 landscape, catering companies serving UK schools must navigate new pressures – from economic challenges to policy shifts. Rising food prices, post-pandemic budget strains, and increased awareness of healthy eating and sustainability are reshaping school meal programs. Meanwhile, government initiatives (such as expanded free meal programs and climate action plans) are raising expectations on caterers to deliver high-quality, compliant, and eco-friendly services. Below we outline five key challenges facing school caterers in 2025, each with context on why it’s pressing this year and practical tips for providers to meet these challenges head-on.
1. Surging Food Costs and Budget Constraints
Why it’s a challenge: School caterers are under intense financial pressure in 2025. Food price inflation and supply-chain disruptions have driven up the cost of ingredients dramatically. In a recent survey, caterers reported a 20% increase in food costs in just a few months, on top of over 50% rises the previous year. At the same time, government funding for school meals has not kept pace with inflation. For example, the Department for Education’s per-meal funding for infant free lunches in England rose by only 3 pence (to £2.61) in 2025 – far below the actual cost of about £3.16 needed per meal. School leaders warn that this “pitiful” increase leaves many schools subsidising meals from their own overstretched budgets. Indeed, 85% of schools in one report expressed ongoing concern about the rising cost of catering. These budget constraints make it difficult to maintain food quality and compliance. Some caterers have resorted to reducing portion sizes or menu options and even substituting cheaper ingredients (e.g. beans in place of meat) to stay afloat. The funding gap is especially problematic as more pupils become eligible for free meals amid the cost-of-living crisis, increasing demand without equivalent funding support. Tight finances are thus a top challenge, threatening both the viability of catering services and the nutritional quality of school lunches.
Recommendations for catering businesses:
Work with suppliers for better deals: Negotiate bulk purchasing or join buying groups to obtain discounts on food supplies. In practice, 88% of school caterers are partnering with suppliers to mitigate price rises. Long-term supplier contracts can lock in prices and ensure stable supply.
Optimize menus for cost-efficiency: Consider creative menu planning such as weekly “meat-free days.” Using more plant-based proteins and seasonal produce can lower costs while still providing nutritious meals. In fact, many caterers have adopted meat-free days both to cut costs and meet sustainability goals. Ensure substitutions (like lentils or pulses for meat) still meet protein requirements.
Reduce food waste: Cutting waste saves money. Implement portion control and track food waste to adjust production. Some caterers use digital tools to monitor waste and have significantly reduced excess. Training staff to prepare only what’s needed and encouraging pupils to only take what they’ll eat can also help.
Advocate and budget smartly: Stay informed on any funding opportunities or grants (for example, hardship funds or local authority support) and incorporate anticipated inflation into contract pricing. Engage with school leadership to review meal pricing – a modest increase in paid meal prices (with communication to parents about improved quality) may be necessary to cover costs. Additionally, industry associations are urging government action on funding ; catering providers can add their voice to these calls for sustainable funding.
2. Staffing Shortages and Workforce Retention
Why it’s a challenge: The catering industry is experiencing labor shortages, and school kitchens are no exception. Many school caterers struggle to recruit and retain kitchen staff such as cooks and servers. Contributing factors include relatively low wages, fewer hours (often part-time/term-time roles), and competition from the wider hospitality sector. One UK council in 2024 reported a “huge increase in school catering vacancies,” with 50 school kitchen jobs unfilled after staff left during the pandemic. In some cases, staff shortages have even forced schools to curtail services – for example, a shortage of kitchen staff in County Down meant some primary pupils went without hot meals temporarily. An industry-wide shortage of hospitality workers, compounded by sickness absences, is creating real risks to service continuity. Low pay is a major issue: school catering staff are often paid around £10–12 an hour, and surveys show the vast majority feel this isn’t enough to cope with rising living costs. In fact, 98% of surveyed school support staff (including caterers) in Wales said their pay is not sufficient, and many are actively seeking higher-paid jobs. This means caterers face high turnover. The loss of experienced cooks also impacts meal quality and adherence to standards. Staffing challenges in 2025 form a “perfect storm” when combined with budget cuts, making it very challenging to maintain consistent, quality food service across schools.
Recommendations for catering businesses:
Improve pay and conditions: Where possible, adjust wages to meet or exceed the real Living Wage for your area. Better pay is crucial to attract and keep staff – as noted, providing the predominantly female, part-time catering workforce with good pay and conditions yields benefits for service quality. Also consider non-monetary benefits: free or discounted lunch, training opportunities, or year-round contracts (e.g. offering holiday catering work) to make roles more sustainable.
Invest in training and career development: Create a pathway for kitchen staff to progress (e.g. training a general kitchen assistant to become a cook or supervisor). Providing training in food safety, nutrition, and culinary skills not only improves your service but also increases job satisfaction and retention. A well-trained team can work more efficiently even if understaffed.
Flexible and creative recruitment: Cast a wide net when recruiting. Partner with local job centres, community groups, and school parent networks to find candidates who appreciate term-time work (such as parents looking for work during school hours). Emphasize the meaningful nature of the job – preparing healthy food for children – as part of your recruitment messaging. Where shortages are acute, consider hiring part-time staff for peak hours or using relief staff from catering agencies as a stop-gap.
Optimize staff utilization: To cope with shortages, improve workflow in the kitchen. Simplify menus if needed to match the staff capacity (without compromising nutrition). Cross-train employees so that remaining staff can cover multiple roles when someone is off sick. Additionally, coordinate with schools on scheduling (e.g. staggered lunchtimes) to make the workload manageable for a smaller team.
3. Meeting Nutritional Standards and Promoting Healthy Eating
Why it’s a challenge: Schools are required to meet strict School Food Standards ensuring meals are healthy and balanced. In 2025, with rising concern over childhood obesity and poor nutrition, there is greater scrutiny on what children are eating at school. (Ofsted inspections now put a stronger focus on schools’ healthy eating culture. The challenge is that budget and supply issues can conflict with nutrition goals. Recent surveys reveal that nearly 1 in 5 school caterers worry they can no longer fully meet the nutritional standards – a figure that has been rising. Indeed, about 10% of caterers admitted reducing the nutritional quality of meals due to cost pressures. Some have cut portion sizes or limited fresh ingredients when prices spike. These compromises are troubling at a time when childhood obesity rates remain high. According to the National Child Measurement Programme, 22% of Year 6 children (age 10–11) in England are obese, with another 14% overweight. Healthy school meals are a key tool to combat this trend by providing fruits, vegetables, and balanced portions. Additionally, there’s a need to encourage uptake of healthy school meals – many secondary pupils opt for less healthy snacks or nothing at all if the canteen offerings aren’t appealing. The year 2025 also brings continued attention to issues like excessive sugar and ultra-processed foods in children’s diets. Caterers must therefore strive to uphold nutrition standards and entice students to actually eat the healthier options, all within tight financial limits. It’s a delicate balancing act between quality and cost.
Recommendations for catering businesses:
Prioritize core nutritional requirements: Even when trimming costs, ensure every meal still includes the basics of a balanced diet – for example, a portion of protein, carbohydrate, and at least one or two servings of vegetables or fruit. Use creative substitutions to maintain nutrition: e.g., if fresh meat or fish is too costly, use beans, lentils, or eggs as protein which are cheaper but nutrient-rich. Many schools have successfully substituted meat with pulses without dropping below standards. Monitor portions so children get enough to be satiated and energized for learning.
Leverage guidance and certifications: Utilize available frameworks like the School Food Standards (England) or equivalent guidelines in Scotland, Wales, NI, as a non-negotiable baseline. Programs such as Food for Life Served Here or the new School Plates guide can provide recipes and best practices for healthy menus. For instance, the Food for Life approach emphasizes cooking 75% of dishes from scratch with minimally processed ingredients – a practice that improves nutrition. Schools following these frameworks have seen positive results, with pupils more likely to enjoy school meals. Consider aiming for awards or certifications; they often come with support and boost your credibility.
Menu creativity and student engagement: To get children excited about healthy food, introduce variety and choice. Rotate menus to keep them interesting and incorporate student feedback on recipes. Try themed days (e.g. cuisines from around the world) that naturally include veggies and whole grains. Making the presentation attractive – colorful salads, fun fruit displays – can draw students in. Some caterers involve pupils through school gardening or cooking clubs, which can increase their willingness to try healthy foods they’ve grown or prepared. (Evidence shows a child is much more likely to eat a vegetable they grew themselves. Engaging marketing on the serving line (creative names for dishes, posters about health benefits) can also nudge healthier choices.
Collaborate on food education: Work with schools to integrate nutrition education. If children learn in class about the benefits of a balanced diet, they may make better choices in the lunch queue. Offer tasting sessions or “meet the chef” demos to build curiosity. By fostering a whole-school healthy eating ethos – as encouraged by governors and Ofsted – you create an environment where meeting nutritional standards isn’t just a box-tick but a shared mission.
4. Managing Allergies and Special Dietary Requirements
Why it’s a challenge: The prevalence of food allergies and special diets among students has grown significantly, making safe and inclusive catering more challenging than ever. In the UK, 5–8% of children have a food allergy, meaning most classrooms will have at least one allergic child. The rate of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) in children rose by 72% between 2013 and 2019 – a stark reminder that vigilance is critical. Schools also accommodate a range of other dietary needs: from intolerances (gluten or lactose-free diets) to religious requirements (e.g. halal, kosher) and ethical choices (vegetarian or vegan). In 2025, there is heightened awareness and legal duty around this. UK law (Food Information Regulations) requires school caterers to provide allergen ingredient information for every food item they serve. “Natasha’s Law,” introduced for pre-packed foods, has increased scrutiny on allergen labeling even in school tuck shops and canteens. The challenge is ensuring no child is inadvertently exposed to an allergen and that every pupil – regardless of allergy, medical diet, or cultural preference – can safely enjoy a school meal. This becomes tougher when menus change or suppliers substitute products due to shortages; caterers must rigorously check ingredients with each change. Additionally, catering for diverse diets can strain resources: for instance, preparing a separate gluten-free meal or sourcing halal meat may be costlier or require extra staff attention. Failing to manage this well can have life-threatening consequences and erode trust with parents. Thus, allergy management and dietary inclusion remain top priorities and challenges for school catering in 2025.
Recommendations for catering businesses:
Implement strict allergen procedures: Develop a comprehensive allergen management policy and ensure every staff member is trained on it. This should include maintaining an updated list of the 14 major allergens and clearly tagging any menu item containing them. Use tools like allergen matrix charts for each recipe. Require double-checking of ingredient labels with every delivery – if a supplier sends a slightly different product, verify it hasn’t introduced an allergen. Establish protocols for preventing cross-contamination (e.g. separate preparation areas, utensils, and gloves for allergen-free meals). Many school caterers designate their kitchens nut-free as a baseline, given the severity of nut allergies.
Personalize and communicate: Work closely with schools to identify students with special diets or allergies well in advance. Maintain a register of these pupils and their specific needs. Communication is key – liaise with parents and the school nurse or SEN coordinator to understand each child’s requirements and emergency plans. Some caterers create individual meal plans or color-coded lunch cards for allergic students to ensure they get the correct meal. Always have ingredient information accessible (e.g. a folder or digital menu that staff and even parents can review) so that anyone can check if a dish is safe. The UK government provides detailed allergy guidance for schools – use these official resources to audit your processes.
Menu inclusion and flexibility: Aim to offer inclusive menu options that can suit a broad range of needs by default. For instance, use recipes that avoid the most common allergens where possible, or easily adapt (a pasta dish where you can have gluten-free pasta available, or a dairy-free version of a sauce). Provide a vegetarian option daily that can double as halal (if made with plant protein or fish) to accommodate different faiths and preferences. When planning menus, think through alternatives for the major dietary categories – have a plan for gluten-free, dairy-free, etc., so that a child with an allergy isn’t stuck with a plain salad every day. It’s also wise to source specialty products (like gluten-free bread or halal meat) from trusted suppliers and keep a small stock on hand.
Training and emergency readiness: Regularly train your team on handling allergy-safe meals and on emergency response. Drills or discussions on what to do if a child has a reaction can be life-saving (e.g. recognizing symptoms and administering an EpiPen if needed). Make sure this is done at least annually or whenever menu changes significantly. Also, train staff on cultural awareness – understanding why a child might ask if food is halal, for example, helps build an inclusive culture. Ultimately, a proactive approach – “be prepared and be aware” – will build parents’ confidence and keep all children safe while dining at school.
5. Embracing Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility
Why it’s a challenge: As we look to the future, school catering is expected to align with broader sustainability and climate goals – a growing priority in 2025. The UK Department for Education’s new Sustainability & Climate Change Strategy calls for all schools to create a Climate Action Plan in 2025. Food and catering are key components of these plans, since what we serve in canteens has an environmental footprint. Caterers are under pressure to reduce food-related carbon emissions, cut waste, and source ethically. Many local authorities and even students themselves are pushing for more eco-friendly menus (for example, offering more plant-based meals to lower carbon impact). In practice, meat-free school menus are on the rise – a 2025 survey of council-run catering found that 64.5% have introduced meat-free days (up sharply from 22.7% the year before). This shift is partly to save money, but also in response to changing diets and sustainability commitments. Additionally, schools are focusing on waste reduction: roughly 96,000 tonnes of food are wasted by UK schools annually. contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing this waste is both an environmental and cost-saving imperative. Caterers also face expectations to reduce single-use plastics (like food packaging) and to source local, seasonal produce to support the community and cut food miles. Embracing sustainability is a challenge because it may require menu changes, new suppliers, or investments in equipment (e.g. composting systems or reusable serving ware). Yet it’s becoming essential as schools strive for “net zero” targets. Catering companies must adapt to these expectations, making green practices part of their operating model in 2025 and beyond.
Recommendations for catering businesses:
Offer climate-friendly menu options: Increase the availability of plant-based and low-carbon dishes. You don’t need to eliminate meat entirely, but even a small shift can have impact. Consider instituting a “Meat-Free Monday” or ensuring at least one vegetarian/vegan entrée daily. This aligns with both cost control and sustainability – plant-based ingredients typically have a lower carbon footprint and can be cheaper than meat. Major school caterers are moving in this direction (for example, one large provider committed to at least one-third of menus being plant-based by 2025. When using meat or fish, try to source higher-welfare and sustainable options (e.g. MSC-certified fish, or local farm assured meat) – this can be a selling point to eco-conscious parents.
Local and seasonal sourcing: Procuring food from local farms and suppliers can reduce transport emissions and often means fresher, tastier ingredients. Build relationships with regional producers for in-season vegetables, dairy, or bakery items. Not only does this support the local economy, it also helps with traceability and trust. Seasonal menus (e.g. more root vegetables in winter, salads in summer) tend to be more sustainable and cost-effective. Highlighting “locally sourced” or seasonal items on your menu can also generate goodwill and educational value for students.
Waste reduction initiatives: Conduct a food waste audit in your kitchens and dining halls. Identify where most waste occurs – is it excess cooking, uneaten plate waste, or leftovers in serving trays? Then take action: adjust portion sizes to age-appropriate levels, allow “seconds” for hungry students (so initial portions can be smaller), and educate pupils not to overfill their trays. Many schools have begun composting food scraps or separating waste, which your team should be ready to support. You can also get students involved through campaigns or competitions to cut waste (some schools achieved a one-third reduction in waste via student competitions. Reducing waste not only lowers environmental impact but directly saves money on food purchases and disposal costs.
Eco-friendly operations: Aim to eliminate single-use plastics in your service. Switch to reusable or biodegradable plates, cutlery, and cups if possible, and offer water jugs or fountains instead of plastic bottles. If you provide packed lunches or grab-and-go items, use compostable packaging. Additionally, improve energy efficiency in kitchens – use energy-saving appliances and train staff to minimize oven or equipment use when not needed, as energy costs and carbon emissions go hand-in-hand. You might also include catering in the school’s climate action curriculum: for example, collaborate with teachers to show how the day’s menu ties into sustainability (like explaining that Tuesday’s vegetarian chili has a lower carbon footprint, educating students on climate-friendly food choices). By positioning your catering company as a partner in schools’ climate action plans – helping with initiatives like food waste recycling or planting school gardens – you demonstrate leadership and add value beyond the lunch plate.
Conclusion
The school catering sector in 2025 faces complex challenges, from economic strains to evolving social responsibilities. Catering companies serving UK schools must be agile and proactive to thrive under these conditions. In summary, focus on securing financial sustainability (through cost control and advocacy), supporting your workforce (to ensure kitchens are well-staffed with motivated teams), upholding nutrition and safety standards (so that every child is fed well and safely), and driving innovation in sustainability (making school meals part of the climate solution). By following the practical steps outlined – such as collaborative purchasing, staff training, menu engineering, allergen protocols, and eco-friendly practices – caterers can turn challenges into opportunities. There are many resources available to support this journey: industry associations like LACA (The School Food People) regularly share best practice and lobbying updates, charities such as School Food Matters and Food for Life offer toolkits and recognition for healthy, sustainable meals
and official guidance from the DfE and FSA can help with compliance on standards and allergies. The key is to stay informed and work in partnership with schools and communities. School catering is more than a service – it’s a mission to nourish the next generation. By tackling these top five challenges with creativity and commitment, catering companies can ensure that mission succeeds, providing pupils with meals that are nutritious, safe, affordable, and planet-friendly.
