Soggy puddings and chips may no longer be the mainstay of school dinners, but it seems schools are still lacking when it comes to preparation, presentation and dishing out enough of the healthy stuff to go around. Nurseries, on the other hand, are proving they are capable of providing far superior fare.
This is the verdict of a report recently published by Ofsted and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which highlights how the nurseries that were inspected work hard to provide nutritious, balanced meals and give careful thought to the way food education is integrated into the curriculum.
While the report provides reassurance that some nurseries are addressing diet in the all-important early years, the report's sample of 25 settings can hardly be viewed as proof of the pudding. It begs the question: is food really that good in most of the nation's nurseries?
It is not an easy situation to gauge. Government guidelines for healthy eating introduced in 2001 no longer require schools or nurseries to routinely undergo inspections as they used to do. Schools can meet the minimum requirements for provisions of certain foods but still serve poor-quality meals overall.
Food writer Mary Whiting, the author of titles including Managing Nursery Food and Dump The Junk, says, 'Although the "good practice" nurseries described in the report are indeed admirable, such a high standard is not universal. For example, state nurseries are governed by their local authority's wishes, and authorities vary; and nurseries attached to infant schools may get the same fast-food meals as the rest of the school.'
Nurseries do, however, have important advantages when it comes to giving healthy food a chance. As the report highlights, early years settings have the flexibility to make mealtimes and food activities a focus in a way that schools cannot.
In the nurseries inspected, it was found that effective practice is driven by the aim to educate young children to make informed and independent food choices. Most important, the messages conveyed about food and nutrition are coherent and consistent, both in the formal curriculum and in routine practice. Good food messages are implicit in the food served, in the working environment and in the actions of teachers, lunchtime supervisors and children.
Fun is also an essential ingredient. The good-practice nurseries believe that children learn most where they are active participants in food preparation and other activities. Settings are also recognising the importance of involving parents or carers in their strategies to promote healthy eating.
Sarah Schenker, a nutritionist from the British Nutrition Foundation who visited the settings with Ofsted inspectors, emphasises the importance of attention to detail.
'The nurseries we visited are offering a better range of foods than primary schools and creating a calm eating environment which helps to promote eating skills and appreciation of food,' she says. 'Meals are seen as an important part of the day and integral to what children are learning.'
Such high standards require investment and resources, which can be a problem for nurseries on restricted budgets. In reality, not many nurseries boast luxurious kitchens in which to prepare children's meals. More often it is the case that food is rustled up in areas that are used for other purposes, such as teaching and storage.
Prioritising on fresh food means less reliance on the freezer, more shopping trips and, inevitably, greater expense. Some nurseries currently keep costs down by buying 'value' products, but these can be lacking in nutritional content.
At the 44-chain BUPA-owned Teddies Nurseries, menus have recently been re-evaluated to sit more closely with British Nutrition Foundation recommendations. While few changes have had to be made, the chain has moved away from its vegetarian bias to provide more red meat. Each nursery in the group is encouraged to follow the guidelines as closely as possible.
'Food is not identical in each nursery because the region and the preferences of the children will play a part,' says Jeannie Barczewska, quality and development manager. 'It is our policy not to buy "value" brands and our purchasing is done through BUPA collectively, so we can always trace any foods we have bought. Cost is a factor when it comes to quality and this is reflected in the level of our fees.'
However, high standards should be within the scope of all nurseries and schools, according to the FSA. Its new food promotion launched in association with the Department for Education and Skills has a two-pronged attacked. It is focusing on improving the content of school meals and also finding ways to encourage uptake of healthy options. Local education authorities and education departments are being asked to support schools' efforts to make these changes.
The promotion emphasises that clear signposting of healthy food is vital, both in schools and in supermarkets. In line with this it is publishing nutritional criteria for the food industry and the food services sector that are intended to reduce levels of fat, sugar and salt in foods. This will be reflected in labelling.
The FSA says that it is currently working with the food industry, families and others to try to establish these criteria. While no final decisions have yet been made, it aims to have its nutritional criteria published by March 2005. It is an ambitious project.
'We recognise that there are many players involved and a wide range of views,' says Sir John Krebbs, chairman of the FSA. 'We will have to work constructively together if we want to improve the dietary health of our children. There is enormous scope for innovation and the positive promotion of healthier choices for children.'
But according to Mary Whiting, it is crucial that all choices offered are healthy ones. 'Apple or banana is the idea; fruit or ice cream is not,' she says. 'If we don't want children to choose something, why are we offering it?
It's unfair and confusing. When only delicious, health-building food is served, we give children a clear message about what good eating is - a life skill.'
Ms Whiting believes that, despite what some adults think, children do, in fact prefer 'proper food' to endless pizzas and deep-fried fast food.
'I think we are at the stage now where many adults just assume that children will only eat junk, which can then become a self-fulfilling prophecy because that's all that is ever given,' she says.
Ofsted's report suggests that nurseries are well placed to reverse this trend and to train young tastebuds to enjoy what is best for them.