BD Group wins award for healthy plant-based school menus

BD Group, based in Barking and Dagenham, received a bronze award from ProVeg for its efforts to make school meals healthier and more sustainable.

The company serves more than 17,200 pupils every day across around 40 schools in Barking and Dagenham, Brent, and Epping.

Sarah Ryan, interim chief executive of BD Group, said: "Well done to our school catering teams. They are so proactive and work really hard to make tasty and nutritious meals for children.

"Using innovative ways to include health plant-based ingredients in the tens of thousands of meals we make every week is a great way to help the environment and help keep children healthy."

The award was given for BD Group’s 2026/27 menus, which were submitted to ProVeg, an international non-profit focused on promoting plant-based, sustainable food options.

The menus feature dishes such as vegetable sweet and sour noodles stir fry, Spanish bean and vegetable stew, and a margherita pizza with green lentils blended into the sauce for extra fibre.

Alex Jemison, school plates awards coordinator at ProVeg UK, said: "We’re thrilled to acknowledge the great work BD Group is doing to create healthier and more sustainable menus. BD Group is not only improving children's health, but they are also protecting their future."

Using plant-based ingredients helps cut down on meat production, which is more carbon intensive than plant-based ingredients, and it can act as a real tasty alternative in many recipes.