We are never going to return to the life of hunter-gathering that usedto burn our calorie intake so efficiently! Labour-saving devices andhigh-tech accessories will not disappear from our world. So what can bedone?
Efforts so far have been concentrated on school children, with freefruit and veg schemes, nutritional standards and the one-man force ofnature that is Jamie Oliver all combining to bring about change. Yet allthese schemes begin at the school gate, with little or nothing for theearly years sector.
And it is surely children's first years, when dietary and exercisehabits are formed, that should be the priority. As resistance to newhealthy menus has shown, it becomes much harder to change tastes aschildren mature.
Initiatives have come from organisations such as the Pre-School LearningAlliance, the National Day Nurseries Association and some Sure Startsworking with parents. Nursery World is supporting the Nursery FoodAwards, run by the Soil Association and Organix, which have seen entriesfrom some nurseries with a brilliant approach to food.
Government investment is urgently needed to boost pre-school nutrition.In addition, the vested interests of food manufacturers should not beallowed to block reform, and the poor-quality contents of manychildren's lunchboxes should be seen as a matter of public concern. Thenthere might be a slim chance for improvement!
