Schools and nurseries are under considerable financial pressure, which often results in poor quality ingredients and unimaginative dishes being served during a typical breakfast club, lunch service, or after school/holiday club. Not only does this compromise the nutritional potential of food provision for children, but also worryingly, it can reinforce poor eating habits, which children carry into adulthood.
Educational establishments are often confused about what constitutes "healthy food" and thus misguided during the creation of their menus and food choices for children. The Governments ........ is woefully outdated, published in 2007. It still recommends that children are served meat, eggs and dairy as part of a healthy diet. This is despite a plethora of high quality medical research and advice from the World Health Organisation, which clearly shows a correlation between meat, eggs, and dairy consumption and a raft of serious health conditions.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS AT A GLANCE
1. It allows schools and nurseries to serve better quality meals and snacks for the same, or less, money 2. Plant based menus have huge environmental and sustainability benefits 3. Children have a rolling opportunity to eat healthily 4. It reduces divisions by allowing children of all faiths and different dietary requirements to eat together 5. Children become active citizens of their community by helping the climate crisis