Some UK nurseries are struggling to source healthy local food due to lack of funding and a workforce crisis, with some resorting to going to the local corner shop to buy lunches for children, according to the authors of a new report . The authors of the report are calling for more resources and support for nurseries and childminders so they can provide nutritious and locally produced food. The report, by researchers at the University of York, food policy consultancy Bremner and Co and the charity The Food Foundation, looked at the provision of food in 16 early years childcare settings across Yorkshire.
Based on interviews with childcare workers and public authority employees, the findings paint a mixed picture, with many settings struggling to procure local nutritious food and employ staff to prepare it. One childcare setting reported relying on food donations from a charity to be able to provide healthy meals. The settings provided fruit and vegetables, but in several there was also evidence of sugary desserts, chocolates and heavy puddings.
For example, one setting offered sugary mousse, chocolate cupcakes and rocky roads as desserts for three days across a two-week cycle. The researchers found that larger settings affiliated with schools tended to be able to provide healthier meals and be more aligned with School Food Standards. The report also highlights that Yorkshire has the second highest number of children under 16 living in absolute poverty (21.
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