Junk food in nurseries?

Various news media all over the country broke a story about the
quality of food served in nurseries.

The initial source for the stories was a report by Soil Association and
Organix called Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie. It aimed to be 'the
first detailed investigation into the state of food fed to young children
attending nurseries in England and Wales'.

The research found that nurseries are offering food which is restricted
in primary and secondary schools (such as crisps, chocolate, lollies, sweets,
cakes, biscuits, burgers and chips).

Considering the fact, that almost 618,000 children (in 2006) were under
the age of 5 and, therefore, attended nurseries, we can only imagine
what they have been eating all this time.

They also revealed that food in some nurseries contained food additives
which are not normally allowed for young children. This included
Sodium aluminium phosphate (E541), Carboxy methyl cellulose (E466),
Propyleneglycol esters of fatty acids (E477), Calcium stearoyl lactate (E482),
colouring Norbixin (E160(b)), flavour enhancers Monosodium
Glutamate (E621) and Disodium 5-ribonucleotide (E635).

Moreover, it turned out some nurseries were spending only
25p on ingredients for a child's meal - how could you possibly
manage to provide quality food at this price?

Those who are interested can find a full report in pdf format here.
Meanwhile, a special website dedicated to the issue was set up. It
is called Better Nursery Food Now - and aimed to support a
campaign by encouraging visitors to sign the petition.

Among other interesting pieces of information on this website,
there is an overview of the current situation:

• No compulsory training for nursery staff serving food
• No clear nutritional standards
• No agency to monitor the quality of food provided
• No Government department giving a lead or promoting good practice
• No Government funding available to help nurseries improve provision

What can an average parent do in this situation? Probably
visit your child's nursery once again and make sure it provides
quality food.

(image from http://farm1.static.flickr.com/3/4298089_df412f0f12.jpg?v=0)