Nursery Kitchen, a nursery food supplier, has partnered with vegan food brand Gosh!, to be able to offer plant-based food to 130 children’s nurseries in the UK. The Sweet Potato Pakora and Mediterranean Falafel will now be offered as options for the nursery menus.
This partnership comes following some reports revealing concerning nutrition habits among young children. For instance, First Steps Nutrition Trust found that 61% of UK children get their energy from ultra-processed foods, and the National Child Measurement Programme found that one-fifth of children are thought to be overweight or obese when they start school.
Hannah Dolan, head of food at Nursery Kitchen, said to Plant Based News, “The stats in recent news reports signal a drastic need for change in the early years food industry. Children need to have access to healthy food choices at the earliest possible age to have the best chances of carrying through such preferences and eating habits into their adult years.”
In 2022, an official parliamentary petition was set up urging the government to ensure that schools provide a vegan meal option every day. The petition has gathered more than 26,000 signatures so far. Laura Chepner, Chair of the Vegan Society’s Education Network, said, “The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on educators not to discriminate against vegan children and students. Currently, the Government only asks that schools make ‘reasonable choices’ when deciding whether to cater for vegans in their care. Those who choose not to are discriminating and it is about time that the grey area became black and white. Vegan options in 2022 should not be optional.”
In 2019, Jigsaw Day Nurseries in Chester announced it would no longer serve meat or dairy products to the 260 children in their care as of January 2020, the first in Britain to do so. Claire Taylor, founder of the nurseries, which is Chester’s largest private childcare provider, defended the decision which she says was “made with the children and the planet’s future in mind.“
