The Holiday Activities and Food Programme was first piloted as a response to growing concerns about children experiencing holiday hunger. Nine years on, with more and more families across England struggling to afford healthy food, the programme is more important than ever.
The UK government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme was first piloted across a few areas in 2018. The government recognised that some children rely on free school meals during term time, and the absence of this provision during the school holidays left them at risk of experiencing food insecurity and as a result, nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, children from low-income families are less likely to have access to enriching activities during the holidays or support services, affecting their overall health and wellbeing[1]. Consequently, this gap in provision contributes to widening inequalities in both health and educational attainment between children from more and less affluent backgrounds.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, concerns around rising food insecurity intensified, prompting calls to expand support for low-income families. Alongside recommendations from Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy, published July 2020, this led to the expansion of the HAF Programme across all areas in England throughout the school holidays. As part of the Child Poverty Strategy published in December 2025, the government announced they would be investing a further £600 million to extend the programme for another three years.
Almost 9 years on since the first pilots, HAF continues to play a vital role in supporting children and families during school holidays. To ensure children receive healthy, balanced meals, clubs are required to meet the School Food Standards, however, research suggests adherence to the standards across clubs is inconsistent. Since its nationwide launch in 2021, our team of registered nutritionists have been working with hundreds of providers across the country to upskill them around the school food standards through the Good Food for the Holidays programme, to ensure they are offering healthy, balanced and delicious meals to children and young people at HAF.
The training includes:
The training, delivered by a team of Associate Registered Nutritionists, has been delivered to over 650 HAF providers across England and is designed to provide a level playing field across the standard of food provided at HAF clubs.
Through our training offer we have heard first hand just how important the programme is, and some of the amazing work providers are doing to increase access to healthier food for the children and families they work with.
What did providers have to say?
“As a result of the training, we created a more interactive and educational food experience for children”
“The training helped us create a more inclusive and engaging mealtime environment, encouraging conversation and shared experiences”
“Following the training, I worked more closely with our food provider to ensure meals met school food standards and introduced new meals. Although we were limited to what we could make and provide at the leisure centre, we provided balanced, high-quality meals with wholemeal options, fruit, vegetables, and varied snacks, which proved very popular with the children”
You can read three fantastic case studies here from Edsential, Chorley Sports School Sponsorship and Sportscool Preston and Fylde.
Find out more about our Good Food for the Holidays training here, or email info@foodactive.org.uk with any questions.
[1] Stewart, H., Watson, N., & Campbell, M. (2018). The cost of school holidays for children from low income families. Childhood, 25(4), 516-529.
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