The School Food Trust have issued some new food guidelines for nurseries, childminders and other preschool service providers.
The guidelines will first be introduced in five local authorities and then rolled out in 2012.
Two years ago, an independent panel of experts called for clearer guidance on food and nutrition for preschool services. The experts argued that some services had not taken on board the nutritional needs of young children. Some children had too much salt and sugar in their diets, others had not enough carbohydrate or fat and others had a lack of fruit, vegetables, dietary fibre and some essential minerals.
A recent report has also highlighted that over 20% of children are now obese before they start school and the School Food Trust hope that the new guidelines will help to address this issue.
The guidelines include advice on the types of food children should eat and provides some recipes. The guide also features advice on how to cope with fussy eaters and provides information on how to provide a varied and healthy diet, establishing good eating habits from an early age.
Sarah Tether, the Children’s Minister, said: “Healthy eating is at the heart of helping every child get the best start in life.
Nurseries play a vital role in getting children from all backgrounds to develop good eating habits, but many lack the expert knowledge of what is the best food to serve.”
The new guidelines have been welcomed by childcare providers, including the Pre-school Learning Alliance and the National Day Nurseries Association.
