Nursery food review calls for national guidelines for food and drink in early years settings

The advisory panel on food and nutrition in the early years concluded that there should be a recognised, national set of guidelines, which all settings should be encouraged to use, but they were not in favour of implementing regulations to set minimum standards for food for pre-school children.

The panel's recommendations will contribute to the EYFS review. It will then be up to the Government to decide whether to implement the guidance.

The review into the standards of nursery food, which was commissioned last year by the previous Labour Government and supported by the School Food Trust, found that there was often confusion among nurseries and childminders about the nutritional needs of young children and a clear need for guidance and training.

Research carried out for the review found that nearly half of the early years practitioners surveyed had not received any training about food or nutrition, hampering their ability to provide healthy food and drink in their settings.

The report found that while early years settings recognise the importance of healthy eating for young children, practitioners are often confused about how to meet the food and nutrition requirements in the EYFS.

A report by the School Food Trust last year found that although guidance does exist for early years practitioners, there are substantial gaps in information for early years settings, for example on portion sizes for young children.

Evidence submitted to the panel suggested that many early years settings are not currently meeting nutritional requirements and there is too much sugar and salt in children's food.

The latest statistics from the National Child Measurement Programme shows that nearly a quarter of children (23 per cent) are overweight or obese by the time they start school.

The panel, which included representatives from early years organisations, nutritionists and policy advisers, felt that guidance should be voluntary but all providers should be encouraged to adopt it, because this would help practitioners without imposing a burden on providers and being too prescriptive.

It would also reassure parents who would be able to see whether the guidance was being used and help them to choose the right setting for their child.

The panel recommends ‘food-based guidance within a nutrient framework’ to show practitioners how to provide nutritionally balanced meals clearly defining the type, frequency and amount of food that should be served.

The panel has produced guidance, which was trialled in five settings. It includes information on the importance of different food groups, good food choices and foods that should be avoided or restricted, and suggested portion sizes to help plan menus.

The report also recommends that food and nutrition in early years settings should be inspected by Ofsted at regular intervals to evaluate the extent to which the guidance has been implemented nationally.

Key recommendations include:

• providing healthy, balanced and nutritious food and drink must remain a statutory component of the EYFS  welfare requirements and should be seen as integral to the learning and development requirements

• the new guidance should be supported by training and resources for practitioners

• training on how to provide nutritious meals and snacks should be offered to anyone working in childcare

Chair of the panel consultant paediatrician Dr Anthony Williams from St George’s, University of London, (pictured), told Nursery World, ‘The overwhelming majority of practitioners feel that some sort of guidance would be extremely useful.’

‘There was a sense that if the guidance was mandatory it would introduce an additional element of bureaucracy. It was felt that voluntary guidance would provide people with information and enable them to demonstrate that they had reached a standard.’

However, local authorities had been ‘keener’ to have mandatory requirements, he said.

The panel surveyed practitioners’ views on current guidance and held focus groups with providers, parents and children.
  
Dr Williams said, ‘The most striking finding was the obvious inconsistency in the quality of food’ provided in early years settings. The existing requirement [in the EYFS] for healthy, balanced and nutritious food is not clearly defined.’

He said that there was uncertainty about how much food children should be eating and how some nurseries, for example were providing foods with ‘not enough energy and a lot of fruit and fibre’, while others provided adult portions.

There are no currently accredited nutritional qualifications for the early years workforce. Dr Williams suggested that training in food and nutrition for early years practitioners could be 'broadened and made statutory'.

The guidance recommends access to a registered public health nutritionist for all local authorities wanting advice for childcare providers on using the guidance. It also said
the guidance should be shared with all providers – both regulated and unregulated – to ensure consistent advice on food for pre-school children.

National evidence on food and drink in early years settings should be gathered to provide a baseline against which the impact of introducing clearer guidance could be evaluated.

Margaret Randles, operations director for nursery group Busy Bees, said, 'The guidance has to be flexible to respond to individual children and nurseries. Training is critical; there is no point having the guidance without it. There should also be some form of accreditation for meeting the guidance.'

In January, Busy Bees launched a six-month training programme on nutrition for its chefs, developed by its in-house training team and accredited by City and Guilds. It focuses on nutritional requirements for children aged up to five years, with strong links to children's health and wellbeing.

Ms Randles said there was a need for a dedicated course because often chefs have had no formal training for preparing food for young children.

Responding to the panel’s report, children’s minister Sarah Teather said, ‘It’s important we help every child develop healthy eating habits early on that can last them a lifetime. That's why it's vital healthy eating is promoted in nurseries and Sure Start children's centres.

'Childcare staff have a really important role, alongside parents, to promote healthy eating for young children. The panel’s report is a valuable contribution on how best to support childcare providers in doing this. I know that Dame Clare Tickell will be considering the panel’s report as part of her ongoing review of the Early Years Foundation Stage - which will report in the spring.’

VIEWS FROM THE PANEL

Claire Schofield, director of membership, policy and communications at National Day Nurseries Association
 
‘Nurseries are keen to ensure that children in their care are enjoying the best possible standard of nutritional provision but as this report highlights there are clear barriers in nurseries being able to access advice, information and training in this area.

 ‘It is well recognised that the under-fives are a unique age group in that their nutritional needs change quite rapidly, and guidance regarding food groups and portion sizes is a particular area of need.

 ‘We welcome the recommendations of this report, especially with regard to how any guidance should not require specialist knowledge and that training should be accessible and affordable.

 ‘Nurseries are passionate about helping children get the best start in life, and we look forward to playing our part in offering increased advice and support to help them do this consistently throughout their day-to-day practice.’
 
Helen Crawley, Reader in Nutrition Policy, Centre for Food Policy City University and director of Caroline Walker Trust
 
'What children eat in the early years really matters. A joined-up approach to food and nutrition throughout childhood is essential, and enabling children to eat well in early years settings will complement the good work being done in schools to promote good nutritional health and encourage the necessary food skills that children can take with them into adulthood.'
 
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance
 
‘We welcome the recommendations made in this final report. We agree with the recommendations that the Government must provide early years practitioners with clear and comprehensive guidance on how to meet the nutritional requirements of young children attending early years settings. 

‘We also want to ensure that providing healthy, balanced and nutritious food and drink remains a statutory component of the Early Years Foundation Stage welfare requirements.
‘We believe that every child deserves a healthy start to life and this report highlights the crucial role that early years settings have to play in helping parents and children to achieve this. We trust the Government will take note of the report’s recommendations and help children and families begin a lifetime of healthy nutrition.’
 
Jessica Williams, paediatric dietitian and early years health promotion specialist, British Dietetic Association (BDA)

 ‘Good nutrition in the early years impacts on growth, development and achievement.  Guidance and support for all early years practitioners who are ideally placed to engage children and families in good eating habits will ensure they are healthy and happy for a lifetime. Improving nutrition in the early years will benefit everyone, but the most disadvantaged will benefit most.’