Opinion: To the point - New approach to food

Whether the next 20 years will bring forth a generation of slothful Teletubbies is a matter of both conjecture and opinion, but most of us recognise that it is all too easy to give in to children over bad eating habits.

Although I rarely find reason to compliment the Government over its childcare policy, recent changes on food made available during the school day, especially fried food, are undoubtedly a step in the right direction. But what more could be done?

We would probably all agree that children are keen to follow adult role models, especially if they are associated with sport or television. Nursery operators could seek the support of such personalities in their area, such as a local football team, to help them introduce a new attitude to food for the pre-school age group. Given that many such players are likely to be family men themselves, I am sure they would welcome the opportunity for a photo-shoot with the local newspaper encouraging children to eat more greens and fish, and less chips and chocolate.

This idea came to me after hearing of a scheme run by a teacher at a London primary who persuaded footballers from a major London club who had Spanish as a first language to come to her school and do a basic Q&A session in Spanish before kicking a ball around with the children. It was touching to hear the excitement of the children phrasing simple questions in a foreign language to their heroes.

On the subject of nursery meals, given the need for maximising operational efficiency in these difficult times, now is a good time to investigate whether you are getting a good deal from your food suppliers. We recently did this and found that savings of over 10 per cent are easy to make by careful negotiation with suppliers. Food suppliers are equally keen to keep clients satisfied, rather than having them shop around. Also, look at own brands rather than premium brands. We found a 250 per cent difference in price between one item we use and its unbranded equivalent - and the word on the street is that they are produced by the same supplier!

- Alan Bentley is chairman of the Childcare Corporation.