Canteen to Classroom
Educating and Empowering Children
About Canteen to Classroom
Through our School Plates Programme, thousands of schools are embracing healthy and sustainable meals – now it’s time for children to learn more about them!
Educating children on the impact of their food choices is essential in nurturing future generations that are both health and environmentally conscious. With this in mind, we have developed a brand-new educational programme – Canteen to Classroom – in order to teach children about the food they eat: where it comes from, how it is made, and its impact on our health and the planet.
With 24 high-quality, evidence-based lesson plans, we save teachers precious time and effort. Even better? All of our resources are free.
Take a look at our resources below to see the topics covered, including food waste, climate change, growing food, and exploring the types of food we eat.
Canteen to Classroom Partners and Supporters
The key benefits of the Canteen to Classroom programme include:
- Experiencing, celebrating, and having fun tasting fruit, vegetables, and other plant-based foods.
- Understanding the health benefits and importance of eating more plants.
- Gaining a greater awareness of food waste and the ways that we can feed our increasing population nutritiously and sustainably.
- Increasing knowledge of where our food comes from and how it ends up on our plates.
- Assessing the impact of making sustainable food choices.
- Empowering children to make informed choices about food and the positive steps they can take in their own lives, as well as that of the community and the planet.
- Engaging the next generation in debates around big topics such as the future of our planet and climate change education.
The programme also encourages the development of cross-curricular skills, including: data handling and analysis; debating; geography skills such as exploring land use; using search technologies effectively in computing; science through nutrition, plants, and animal classification; using art creatively; cooking and nutrition within design and technology; and even taking part in team games and being active during PE.
Resources
  |  PRO TASTE |  PRO HEALTH |  PRO JUSTICE |  PRO ANIMALS |  PRO ENVIRONMENT | |
| EYFS | What do we mean by plant-based? Plant-based or animal-based foods | What are our senses? Eat a Rainbow! | What are healthy food choices? Eatwell Guide and being active | What is food waste? Celebrating the food journey | Where does our food come from? Plant-based animal faces | Can we grow our own food? Mini herb garden |
| KS1 | What do we mean by plant-based? Plant-based school meals | What types of food do we eat? Rainbow skewers | How can we eat a healthy, balanced diet? Plant-based Eatwell Guide | Can we feed everyone on our planet? Fairness, respect, and kindness | Where does our food come from? What we put on our plates | What is climate change? Leading with solutions |
| LKS2 | What do we mean by plant-based? Exploring plant-based diets | Why choose more plant-based foods? Exploring taste profiles | What are the benefits of plant-based foods? Plant-powered athletes | How do plant-based menus benefit people, animals, and the planet? ’Plates for our Planet’ menu | What is the impact of our food choices? Comparing animal-based products with plant-based alternatives | How can we improve the planet’s biodiversity? Land use, deforestation, and rewilding |
| UKS2 | What do we mean by plant-based? A plant-based future | How can we eat more plant-based foods? Plant points | What are the benefits of plant-based foods? Mythbusters | How can we feed the planet fairly and sustainably? Food system data | Why should we help to support our natural world? Promoting positive solutions | How can we reduce our environmental impact? Making positive choices |
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