Redwood Early Years

Diet and Healthy Eating Policy

Embedded within the EYFS is the ethos of living a healthy life. Children will learn
how to look after their bodies and make healthy choices. A key part of this is
developing an understanding of healthy eating and ensuring that habits are
developed that ensure that children remain safe whilst eating.
Snack times and lunch time plays an important part in the social life of the setting as well
as providing us with opportunities to reinforce children’s understanding of the importance
of healthy eating.
We request that parents please consider the following
* Children attending a morning session will require a healthy snack in a named
container.
* Children attending an afternoon session will require a healthy packed lunch with
a drink (ideally water) and a separate healthy snack in a named container.
* Children attending all day will require two separately named containers
containing a snack for the morning and for the afternoon. They will also require a
healthy packed lunch with a drink (ideally water)
* We are a no nuts site. Please ensure no nuts in any form are in your child’s
snacks or lunches. We kindly request that you double check the ingredients list
on packaging as it is sometimes not obvious that food contain nuts.
The setting will ensure that:
* Any snacks provided are nutritious, avoiding large quantities of fat, sugar, salt,
additives, preservatives and colourings.
* Children’s medical and personal dietary requirements are respected.
* Allergies and intolerances are highlighted to staff and, if needed, communicated
to all parents (adhering to confidentiality policy)
* The dietary rules of religious groups and also of vegetarians/vegans are known
and met in appropriate ways.
* Children are offered the opportunity to participate in activities centred around
food such as baking or food tasting and these are used as opportunities to
discuss healthy eating, allergies etc.
* Activities (such as baking) explore foods from a range of cultures and countries
to ensure that children from all backgrounds encounter familiar tastes and that all
children have the opportunity also to try unfamiliar foods. We welcome input and
ideas from our families so that we can reflect the lives of our children in our
activities.
* Milk and water are provided for children during sessions.
* Milk provided for children is semi skimmed and pasteurised (as advised by the
NHS for 2 year olds and older).
* Redwood Early Years will seek to share information and activities on healthy
eating with parents.