Vegucation with Riverford

WHAT IS THE PARTNERSHIP ALL ABOUT?

Our collaboration will be focusing its efforts in Devon and Cornwall, as a response to rising levels of food-related ill health in the region. 

Our partnership will work to transform school food in Devon and Cornwall by ensuring that over 40k children will have access to fresh, nutritious  food every day. The collaboration is also part of a wider effort to ‘vegucate’ children and young people, ensuring their future by teaching them how to grow and enjoy fresh produce.

Funded by a significant partnership worth £330,000 over 4 years, the initiative is part of an £800,000 legacy fund left by Riverford’s founder, Guy Singh-Watson, when the company became 100% employee owned in 2023, and is now dedicated to vegetable-centric projects that support communities facing food insecurity.

WHO?

Riverford

Riverford was founded by farmer Guy Singh-Watson in Devon in 1987, when he started delivering organic vegetables to 30 local homes via what was one of the first veg box schemes.

They now deliver around 70,000 organic veg boxes every week across the country to a loyal band of customers who share the company’s environmental and ethical ethos.  

But it’s not just about sustainable food – Guy’s passion for ethical business led him to handing over the reins of Riverford to its staff and the company became employee owned in June 2018, ensuring its ethical values will be protected forever.

Chefs in Schools

Chefs in Schools was established in June 2018 with the aim of transforming food, food culture and food education in schools through training, guidance and support. We’ve shown it’s possible to make exciting, creative school meals for as little as 75p in primary schools and 90p in secondary schools.

Co-founded by Henry Dimbleby, co-author of the School Food Plan, author of the National Food Strategy and co-founder of Leon Restaurants, Nicole Pisani, former Head Chef at Nopi, and Louise Nichols, Executive Head Teacher of the Leap Federation of Schools, we’re backed by some of the country’s leading food influencers, including Emily Scott, Prue Leith, Thomasina Miers and Yotam Ottolenghi.

Over the coming four years, Riverford and Chefs in Schools will be working together to offer fully funded training courses to schools across the region. As well as shorter training courses, in-depth school kitchen transformations are available, which will see fresh, flavourful and colourful food served within school budgets – packet mixes and junk food will be off the menu, whereas meals made from scratch are in.