A Unique Child: Nutrition - Nursery food report exposes lack of standards

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver famously shamed the Government into looking at the sugar- and fat-laden, unhealthy food served up to children in the UK's schools, and in 2006 the Government set nutrition-based standards for pupils in primary and secondary education. But no such statutory benchmarks exist for children in nurseries and, according to a damning new report, 'nursery food provision is letting children down'.

Research carried out on behalf of the Soil Association and the food company Organix finds that foods such as crisps, chocolate, lollies, sweets, cakes, biscuits, burgers and chips, which are heavily restricted or banned in schools, are routinely served up in some nurseries.

Their report, Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie - Exposing the Truth about Nursery Food, shows that regulations outlawing some food additives, which recognise the 'special vulnerability of young children', are not being observed in nurseries where children are given food laced with artificial colouring and sweeteners.

There are basic nutrition standards covering nurseries in the maintained sector, but they are 'far less stringent' than those applied to schools, and there is no requirement for nursery staff to be trained in nutrition or food quality, nor is there any direction on portion size or vegetable and fruit intake. And, apparently, no one in Government will take responsibility for this shocking state of affairs. The researchers found themselves passed from 'one directorate to another' within the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

This is all the more disturbing as the researchers point out that the Government-funded Foresight report, 'Tackling Obesities', in 2007 identified '11 critical opportunities for intervention to prevent obesity later in life', including the pre-school period.

Parents and nursery staff surveyed for the report were unequivocal in expressing their concern about the 'unregulated' state of nursery food, with 85 per cent of parents and 82 per cent of nursery staff wanting 'clearer and more effective standards'. A number of European countries, including Italy, France, Austria and Denmark, already apply such standards to protect the health of their youngest children.

But while the report is highly critical, it is not a uniformly gloomy picture. As it states, 'In spite of all the challenges, many nurseries are providing an exceptional service to the children in their care. The research team found examples of high-quality, freshly prepared, locally sourced and sometimes organic food in all sectors of nursery provision.'

The view from the nursery

Key findings from the survey of 487 nursery workers across England and Wales revealed:

- A total of 83 nursery workers - 17 per cent - felt that the children at their nursery were not given healthy food. There was a particular lack of choice and healthy options in nurseries providing places for children from low-income families.

- Only 27 of the 67 Sure Start children's centres surveyed - 40 per cent - served fruit or vegetables at snack times, compared with 71 per cent of maintained nurseries, 69 per cent of private settings and 75 per cent of voluntary sector nurseries.

- Only 8 per cent of nurseries ever served oil-rich fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel or sardines. No official recommendations exist for the under-fives' consumption of oily fish, which is know to have health benefits, but the School Food Trust's standards for primary and secondary schools stipulate that oily fish should be provided at least once every three weeks.

- National standards for under-eights state that all nurseries must provide access to drinking water. But only 27 per cent of nursery staff surveyed said they regularly served water to their children as a drink.

- A total of 115 - 24 per cent - employees surveyed said that they and other members of staff had no qualifications in food preparation and nutrition.

- 11 per cent of nurseries surveyed allowed only 20 minutes for lunch, while 49 per cent set aside half an hour.

- Asked to pick a description of the food in their nursery, 8 per cent of staff chose 'lots of processed food such as biscuits and burgers, and sugary drinks like orange squash'.

The view from home

The report reveals that of the 1,773 parents surveyed, nearly one in ten - 8 per cent - did not believe that their children received what they considered to be healthy food at nursery.

Other key findings from the parents' survey included:

- 21 per cent of parents described the food at their children's nursery as 'poor' or 'mediocre' (see box)

- 14 per cent said they were unsure whether the food served was unhealthy

- 26 per cent of parents relied on their children to tell them what they had eaten that day, rather than nursery staff

- Only 34 per cent reported that their child's nursery had a clear food policy

- 40 per cent said that their children did not learn about food or where it comes from. One of the objectives set by the School Food Trust for older children in schools is to 'reduce diet-related inequalities in childhood through food education and school-based initiatives'.

Spending on food

According to the Daycare Trust, an average full-time nursery place for a child under two costs £159 in England and £142 in Wales. Most nurseries surveyed for the research report said they spend around £1 a day per child on food ingredients. Yet in 15 nurseries surveyed - 3 per cent - spending was a 'pitiful' 25p a day.

The research found that:

- 21 per cent of private nurseries and 9 per cent of maintained nurseries spent between £1 and £2 per child per day

- 17 per cent of maintained nurseries and 7 per cent of private nurseries spent 50p or less per day.

The report cites examples of best practice in spending, such as the Childsplay Claremont nursery in Newcastle. It spends an average of £1.72 per day per child, and all meals are made from organic ingredients apart from the sustainably-sourced fish. It uses local yogurt and milk and is looking to extend local sourcing to meat.

Impact of unhealthy diet

The report catalogues the connection between unhealthy diets in very young children and the likelihood of developing degenerative conditions in later life such as Type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. It emphasises the vital importance of introducing young children to a range of foods early on to prevent them developing 'neophobia' - a fear of new foods.

Paradoxically, the report finds that 'while many young children may be consuming too much energy and becoming overweight or obese, many children, whatever their energy intake, are also malnourished', because they are not receiving their vitamin and mineral requirements.

In Wales nurseries are inspected by both the government inspection body Estyn and the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales. New guidance was issued to Estyn inspectors last year to assess a setting's 'healthy living and food and drink' but, as in England, there are no nutrient standards.

In England, guidance accompanying the EYFS and the Government's recent national strategy to combat obesity, Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, repeat the mantra that nurseries should serve 'healthy, balanced and nutritious food', without spelling out what that means.

The report demands the implementation of a set of statutory nutrient-based standards for nursery food in England and Wales to be enforced by Ofsted and Estyn inspectors. It also calls for compulsory cookery and nutrition training for all catering staff in nurseries so that the provision of food is no longer 'a lottery with few winners'.

CASE STUDY: NEWCASTLE

Julia Statham is the co-cordinator of the School Food Parents Action Network in Newcastle and she regards the maintained nursery her daughter attends as 'fantastic', with 'great' teachers and a 'brilliant' outdoor area.

But she says there's a problem - their catering. City Schools Catering, which is Newcastle City Council's in-house provider, supplies the food in the nursery and to 94 schools across the city.

Quoted in the report, Julie says, 'In my opinion the food is awful. The menu has far too many processed elements such as chicken bites, haddock bites and salmon nibbles, and it uses packet mixes for its dumplings, muffins and cookies which contain hydrogenated fat, which I think is detrimental to the health of children.

'There is no excuse for such bad practice. Food should be made from scratch on the premises, using fresh ingredients.' She adds that the nursery has no control over food quality and that the cook's hands are tied and she is 'told what to serve and how to serve it'.

MORE INFORMATION

- Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie - Exposing the Truth about Nursery Food is at: www.nurseryfood.org

- 'Tackling Obesities', the Foresight report, can be downloaded from: www.idea.gov.uk

- Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England is at: www.dh.gov.uk

- The School Food Trust's standards are at: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk.