Food programme tackles children's health in Southwark

Published 26 July 2011

This Friday, Southwark will launch nutrition policies and a four week rotational menu for its directly managed Children’s and Early Years Centres.

In the autumn of 2010, Southwark Council embarked on a project to review, update and improve the standard of food and nutrition given to children under five in their managed Children's and Early Years Centres in Southwark.

Janice Smith, business operations manager for Southwark's Early Years and Children's Centre Service said: "I was convinced that we really needed as a borough to start with the youngest children in our Early Years and Children's Centre services. Giving us a chance of improving the diets of the youngest children in the borough is the best starting point.

"We have an excellent food policy but I wanted to look at the food we served to children across all of the managed Early Years and Children's Centres. It's common sense, if we start children off on the right path as early as possible, we have a greater chance of improving health and social outcomes throughout their lives, and food has a huge role to play in this."

Food and nutrition in early years childcare and education has become increasingly recognised as a way of improving public health issues affecting children across the country. Legislation is currently being passed by the Coalition Government requiring local authorities to demonstrate a quantifiable change in public health and in particular child obesity.

Southwark commissioned Grub4life to provide nutrition and cookery training for eight Early Years Childcare Cooks, cook's assistants and one manager, working in Early Year's and Children's Centres in the borough. All trainees were encouraged to discuss the food and nutrition provision in their own centres and to share the experiences and issues that they handle in their working day.

Nigel Denby, Grub4life project leader said: "As well as these inconsistencies there were some clear positives identified. There is a definite commitment by the Borough, the Early Years Business Operations Manager in Children's services, Children's Centre Managers and most importantly the cooks to make changes.

"In our experience the commitment of the people working on the front line is crucial to any project's success. There are some very dedicated people working in Southwark Early Years and Children's Centres, and their enthusiasm to learn and work together has been inspirational."

Southwark is working very hard to improve food and nutrition and ensure that training and resource development is of a high standard and a cohesive approach is adopted across all of the Early Years and Children's Centres.