Healthy food and drink

† Image by Axel Bahrmann

The Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England have been published to help early years providers and practitioners meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) welfare requirement for the provision of healthy, balanced and nutritious food and drink.

One in five children is obese when they join reception class.So although these guidelines are voluntary, they're recommended good practice for everyone working with under 5s, including playgroups and parent and toddler sessions because of the importance for children (and their parents) to learn about eating well, enjoying a varied diet and establishing healthy eating habits to take with them into their school years and adult life.

You can download the complete document or the different sections, which include menu planning, at a glance guides for meals and snacks, technical information but also lots of practical advice – such as encouraging fussy eaters, learning about food, cooking with children – which is also useful for parents and carers.

There's also a Code of Practice that you can print off, sign up to, put into practice and display!

Download the guidelines or order hard copies from the School Food Trust Eat Better, Do Better website

More information on nutrition and healthy eating is available from:

Food Safety on the Live Well section of NHS Choices
Caroline Walker Trust