The School Food Trust – a registered charity and
specialist advisor to the UK Government on school meals,
children's food and related skills – has published
new guidelines relating to food and drink suitable for children
under five years old. These guidelines are applicable on a
nationwide and voluntary basis.
The guidelines have been elaborated following the publication in
2010 of an independent report on nutrition for young children,
which highlighted the need for clearer nutritional guidance to be
provided to parents and those dealing with small children in a
professional capacity (teachers, childcare providers, etc.).
According to this report, young children are often given food that
is high in salt and sugar (which is more suited to older children
and adults) rather than foods containing the required levels of
carbohydrate and essential minerals such as iron and zinc. This
commonly leads to health problems such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes
and poor dental condition in children under five.
The guidelines have been supported by The National Day Nurseries
Association, the National Childminding Association and the
Pre-School Learning Alliance, and are set to be the subject of
training and implementation within five local authorities this
year. They will also be supplemented by a second voluntary code of
practice aimed specifically at childcare providers.
The guidelines can be downloaded from: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/eatbetterstartbetter
or pre-ordered in hard copy from the School Food Trust.
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
The original publication date for this article was 25/01/2012.
