With the incidence of obesity and diabetes on the increase, many organizations in the UK are realizing how important it is to provide healthy, nutritious meals for kids in preschools to start the education early. The National Day Nurseries Association, the National Child-minding Association and the Pre-School Learning Alliance are backing the School Food Trust program that is implementing nutritious food programs for the kids. So what will be happening is that chicken nuggets and fish fingers won’t be welcome on the menu anymore. New nutrition guidelines will be put in place and food such as risotto, vegetable stew and tuna.
The UK Government has backed these guidelines. Currently, preschools are spending a very small amount of money – around 30 cents – on each child’s meal. Research has (not surprisingly) shown that only one third of parents are satisfied with the food their children are receiving.
Healthy Snacks
Once on the subject of healthy, nutritious food for kids, snacks have been brought under the limelight as well. For example, instead of granola bars that are mainly chocolate-based, or potato chips, vegetable sticks, rice-cakes and fruit are being suggested as a replacement.
One of the reasons this scheme is being implemented is because kids are just not getting the appropriate food which means they are not consuming energy-rich foods or enough vitamins and minerals. The plan has received the full backing of Sarah Teather, the Children’s Minister and Lib-Dem MP.
