Features

Nursery Food: Overview - Food for thought

With under-fives missing some of the basic health standards, Gabriella Jozwiak takes a look at what is being done to improve nutrition in the early years.

Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables and brushing teeth twice a day are well-known goals, but health studies among under-fives suggest children are missing even basic health standards.

Government figures from the years 2011/2012 show that 23 per cent of reception class children were either overweight or obese, while last month Public Health England found that more than 27 per cent of five-year-olds have tooth decay.

Early years professionals have an abundance of early years nutrition guidance available to them, from national campaigns and school food standards to local awards and accreditations. But with no mandatory guidelines for early years nutrition, how are settings tackling health problems?

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