A provocative new initiative by BBH London and The School Food Project is using restaurant-style deception to highlight the need for improved school meals in England as new food standards prepare for rollout in September 2027.
A new campaign by BBH London and The School Food Project is using a deliberately shocking tactic to draw attention to the state of school meals in England: serving diners what are presented as restaurant dishes, only to reveal that they are actually school lunches. The launch is timed to coincide with the government’s rollout of updated school food standards, which are due to be enforced from September 2027, with schools encouraged to begin improving meals sooner. According to government guidance, the revised rules are designed to help pupils eat healthier food and build better habits over the school day.
At the centre of the activation is “Centena”, a pop-up concept fronted by chef Angela Hartnett, which was framed as her latest dining venture. Guests were first offered food such as processed chicken burgers, stale buns, soggy chips and cold baked beans before being shown more appealing dishes intended to demonstrate what better school food could look like. The School Food Project said the aim is to shift the debate away from abstract policy language and towards a more immediate question: what adults would think if they were served the same food children often receive.
The project itself brings together Bite Back, Chefs in Schools, School Food Matters, The Food Foundation and the Jamie Oliver Group. In a statement on its launch, the coalition said it has been created to help schools improve food, strengthen food education and serve meals that children actually want to eat. Its supporters say the updated standards represent a major chance to improve nutrition, with the Department for Education publishing practical guidance on portion sizes, menu planning and lunch checklists for schools.
Naomi Duncan, chief executive of Chefs in Schools, said children are often more open to flavour, variety and healthier ingredients than adults assume, and argued that the new standards should be treated as an opportunity rather than a burden. Karen Martin, chief executive of BBH London and Dublin, said the work was intended to show parents that good school food is achievable. The coalition says it hopes the campaign will encourage families to back schools that are ready to raise standards and to sign up for support through its online hub.
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