ProVeg has made over 6.4 million school meals healthier and more sustainable by becoming plant-based. The ProVeg team helps schools to increase the uptake of plant-based meals by developing new recipes and hosting chef training workshops.
Packham said: “[The School Plates] is a great initiative – it’s all about getting young people in schools to explore a more plant-based diet, because, we’ve got to be honest here – in order for us to hope for a healthier, happier, more sustainable future, we need to make some changes.
“One of the things that we can do relatively easily here in the UK is change what we eat. There’s no ambiguity about the fact that we need to be eating less meat. What we’re interested in is a transition – asking people who eat a lot [of meat] to eat a little less, being patient and kind as they go through that process.
“Working with caterers, and with staff and all those people working in school kitchens, giving the training and encouragement to try more plant-based food… School Plates is a really great idea. So please do try to get involved.”
It is estimated that UK schools serve around 750 million meals a year, with most of these containing animal products. Food production is responsible for 78% of the emissions of an average UK school catering service, with more than half attributed to meat.
The School Plates programme currently covers 3,500 schools feeding 588,000 children each day, and has so far reduced food emissions by over 5 million kilograms, which is the equivalent to the annual emissions of over 1,300 cars.
Jimmy Pierson, director of ProVeg UK, added: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Chris Packham, such an inspirational and influential environmentalist, to our team as an official ambassador of our School Plates programme.
“The work we’re doing to make school food healthier and more sustainable is crucial. Chris has for a long time recognised the benefits of eating more plant-based food, so to have his respected voice amplify our work to a wider audience is brilliant news – for children’s health, and the future of our planet.”