Nursery World - Editor's View - Will new government guidelines have the right recipe for healthy nursery mealtimes?

Action on nutritional standards for nurseries and children's centres is being taken by the Government following the Tickell EYFS Review and the Advisory Panel for Food and Nutrition in the Early Years findings.

The School Food Trust is being given £350,000 to draw up guidelines and a voluntary code of practice, as well as a self-evaluation toolkit, and monitor the effects of this programme.

But should early years nutrition standards be voluntary or mandatory? And is the funding sufficient to make a real difference across such a diverse sector as the early years - and the Government has specified that both regulated and unregulated childcare should be included, adding to the complex nature of this initiative.

The problem with making the standards voluntary is that some settings are already working far in advance of any likely guidelines, and provide wondeful food, while thoe that are truly poor in their approach to nutrition are unlikely to be influenced by these tactics.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included