Although food is an optional element of wraparound provision, it is expected that many providers will wish to offer children food as part of before -and after-school childcare.
There is a good reason why breakfast is sometimes labelled the most important meal of the day. A healthy, nutritious breakfast supports brain function, provides energy, supports growth and really importantly, it can support mood and behaviour. Evidence shows it can contribute to improved readiness to learn, increased concentration, and improved wellbeing and behaviour.
Much like at breakfast, food is an important part of the after-school period. Many children will come out of school hungry, and this basic need is fundamental to satisfy, often before anything else. Think about taking healthy snacks with you on the school run for children to eat on the way home, or how you can prepare snacks in advance, so they are ready for children when they arrive at your setting. You should work with parents to establish the routines and needs of the children and their families and what provision of food you offer – whether that is snacks and/or a meal, it must be balanced and nutritious.
If you are offering food at your wraparound setting, there are some legal requirements you need to understand and implement.
Registering as a food business for wraparound care
If you serve any food at all at your wraparound provision, you will be classed as a “food business” and as such need to be registered with your local authority.
The Food Standards Agency says:
If you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute, you may be considered a food business and will need to register with your local authority.
This includes food businesses trading:
- from physical customer-facing premises
- from home
- from a mobile unit or temporary premises
- online (for example via social media or a website) or through distance selling (distance selling means any selling that happens without face-to-face contact with the consumer)
Registration will apply to all types of businesses who sell food and or drink, regardless of where you operate from.
You will need to register with your local authority if you:
- sell food
- cook food
- store or handle food
- prepare food
- distribute food
Registration of your food business is free and can’t be refused. There is full guidance on how to register your food business with your local authority here Getting ready to start your food business | Food Standards Agency.
If your wraparound provision is registered as a childminder, and you provide food with your childminding business in England, the details you provide to Ofsted or your childminder agency will also be used to register you as a food business with your local authority. You will not have to register separately.
You must comply with food safety and hygiene regulations if you provide food and drink for children or babies including:
- meals
- snacks
- drinks (apart from mains tap water)
- reheated food provided by a parent/carer
- food that you cut up and prepare
Food safety – your responsibilities
If your business deals in food, you must:
- make sure food is safe to eat
- make sure you do not add, remove or treat food in a way that makes it harmful to eat
- make sure the food is the same quality that you say it is
- make sure you do not mislead people by the way food is labelled, advertised or marketed
- keep records on where you got food from and show this information on demand – known as ‘traceability’ (PDF, 90KB)
- withdraw unsafe food and complete an incident report
- tell people why food has been withdrawn or recalled, for example by using a leaflet or poster
- display your food hygiene rating (if you sell food direct to the public)
Food hygiene
Part of complying with food safety is managing food hygiene. Coram PACEY’s Food safety and hygiene for early years settings training is available from the shop
Food poisoning
Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. It is important that you understand and follow good food safety and hygiene practices when providing food for babies and young children.
In England, if you are registered with Ofsted or a CMA you must also notify them of any food poisoning affecting two or more children cared for on the premises within 14 days of the incident.
In Wales, you must contact the PHW Health Protection Team (AWARe) and notify CIW immediately.
Food allergen information
Food regulations mean that all food providers have a legal duty to provide information to consumers if any of 14 specified allergenic ingredients are contained in their food. There is free Food Allergy Training available from the Food Standards Agency.
Coram PACEY member-exclusive resources including a Food allergens fact sheet and Food allergens FAQs
Food standards
The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 (referred to as the School Food Standards) applies to all food and drink provided to pupils on school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm). Breakfast and after school clubs provided on school premises or at the request of the local authority/school governing board (at other premises) are required to meet the School Food Standards. Although the School Food Standards do not apply to independent breakfast and after school clubs not connected to a school, those settings may wish to use the standards as a guide.
Food safety management pack for registered childminders or childcarers on domestic premises who usually provide meals and drinks for the children in their care: Safer food, better business for childminders | Food Standards Agency
Food safety management procedures for small businesses in England and Wales: Safer food, better business (SFBB) | Food Standards Agency
Mealtimes and snack times for young children can be a high-risk environment for choking incidents. To minimise the chance of these incidents, providers looking after children aged 5 years old and under should familiarise themselves with how to prepare food appropriately for their age and development and may wish to refer to the Food Safety page on the ‘Help for early years providers’ online platform. In order to enable staff to react quickly if a child does choke, children of this age group should be within sight and hearing of a member of staff when eating.
There are further requirements for food and drink depending which nation you practice in:
In England
Wraparound providers on the Early Years Register also have other statutory regulations that they must adhere to when providing food and drink for the children in their care if they are registered with Ofsted. There are statutory requirements relating to food and drink which begin by saying:
“Where children are provided with meals, snacks, and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. To understand how to meet this requirement childminders/providers must have regard to the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance’. Fresh drinking water must always be available and accessible to children.” (3.62 Early years foundation stage statutory frameworks for childminders/group and school-based providers)
The Safer eating requirements of the Early years foundation stage statutory frameworks go on to state that:
- Whilst children are eating there should always be a member of staff in the room with a valid paediatric first aid certificate for a full course consistent with the criteria set out in Annex A.
- Before a child is admitted to the setting the childminder/provider must obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences, food allergies and intolerances that the child has, and any special health requirements. This information must be shared by the childminder/provider with all staff involved in the preparing and handling of food. At each mealtime and snack time childminders/providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child.
- Childminders/providers must have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers and, where appropriate, health professionals to develop allergy action plans for managing any known allergies and intolerances. This information must be kept up to date by the childminder/provider and shared with all staff.
- Childminders/providers must prepare food in a way to prevent choking. This guidance on food safety for young children: Food safety – Help for early years providers – GOV.UK (education.gov.uk) includes advice on food and drink to avoid, how to reduce the risk of choking and links to other useful resources for early years settings.
- Children must always be within sight and hearing of a childminder or assistant/member of staff whilst eating. Choking can be completely silent, therefore, it is important for providers to be alert to when a child may be starting to choke. Where possible, childminder or assistant/providers should sit facing children whilst they eat, so they can make sure children are eating in a way to prevent choking and so they can prevent food sharing and be aware of any unexpected allergic reactions.
The Food and drink facilities requirement state that “There must be an area adequately equipped to provide healthy meals, snacks and drinks for children as necessary. There must be suitable facilities for the hygienic preparation of food for children, if necessary, including suitable sterilisation equipment for babies’ food.” Depending on your registration – “Childminders must be confident that they, or any assistants responsible for preparing and handling food, are competent to do so.” and group and school-based “Providers must be confident that those responsible for preparing and handling food are competent to do so. All staff involved in preparing and handling food must receive training in food hygiene.”
Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory frameworks – GOV.UK
In England
Wraparound providers on the Early Years Register also have other statutory regulations that they must adhere to when providing food and drink for the children in their care if they are registered with Ofsted. There are statutory requirements relating to food and drink which begin by saying:
“Where children are provided with meals, snacks, and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. To understand how to meet this requirement childminders/providers must have regard to the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance’. Fresh drinking water must always be available and accessible to children.” (3.62 Early years foundation stage statutory frameworks for childminders/group and school-based providers)
The Safer eating requirements of the Early years foundation stage statutory frameworks go on to state that:
- Whilst children are eating there should always be a member of staff in the room with a valid paediatric first aid certificate for a full course consistent with the criteria set out in Annex A.
- Before a child is admitted to the setting the childminder/provider must obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences, food allergies and intolerances that the child has, and any special health requirements. This information must be shared by the childminder/provider with all staff involved in the preparing and handling of food. At each mealtime and snack time childminders/providers must be clear about who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child.
- Childminders/providers must have ongoing discussions with parents and/or carers and, where appropriate, health professionals to develop allergy action plans for managing any known allergies and intolerances. This information must be kept up to date by the childminder/provider and shared with all staff.
- Childminders/providers must prepare food in a way to prevent choking. This guidance on food safety for young children: Food safety – Help for early years providers – GOV.UK (education.gov.uk) includes advice on food and drink to avoid, how to reduce the risk of choking and links to other useful resources for early years settings.
- Children must always be within sight and hearing of a childminder or assistant/member of staff whilst eating. Choking can be completely silent, therefore, it is important for providers to be alert to when a child may be starting to choke. Where possible, childminder or assistant/providers should sit facing children whilst they eat, so they can make sure children are eating in a way to prevent choking and so they can prevent food sharing and be aware of any unexpected allergic reactions.
The Food and drink facilities requirement state that “There must be an area adequately equipped to provide healthy meals, snacks and drinks for children as necessary. There must be suitable facilities for the hygienic preparation of food for children, if necessary, including suitable sterilisation equipment for babies’ food.” Depending on your registration – “Childminders must be confident that they, or any assistants responsible for preparing and handling food, are competent to do so.” and group and school-based “Providers must be confident that those responsible for preparing and handling food are competent to do so. All staff involved in preparing and handling food must receive training in food hygiene.”
Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory frameworks – GOV.UK
In Wales
Standards 10 Healthcare, 12 Food and drink, and 21.1 Notification of significant events of the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Child Care in Wales are concerned with food and drink and food safety and hygiene.
Standard 12.1 state that “Information is obtained from parents and recorded about individual children’s dietary requirements, including cultural and religious requirements and therapeutic diets for officially diagnosed food allergies, and these are complied with.”
The standards state that if children receive meals or snacks, they are “safely prepared, nutritionally balanced, of good quality and appropriate quantity.” (NMS 12.2). Those responsible for the preparation and handling of food must be fully aware of and comply with regulations relating to food safety and hygiene. All food needs to be stored safely, and if parents provide packed lunches, they need to be told what can be stored safely.
Standard 12.5 requires that Food Standards Agency and Environmental Health requirements are complied with.
National Minimum Standards for regulated childcare | GOV.WALES
There is further guidance for Food and nutrition guidance for childcare providers | GOV.WALES
Healthy food in practice
Further to the Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition guidance for England and the Food and nutrition guidance for childcare providers in Wales general food and nutrition guidance for children and young people is available from the NHS: Eat well and the British Nutrition Foundation: Nutrition for children.
In everyday practice, it’s important to offer a variety of nutritious foods. One effective way to do this is by involving the children in planning and creating a menu filled with healthy favourites. You can find some Easy recipes for kids – BBC Food
Cooking is a fun and exciting way to teach children about food. They can learn about how to take risks safely as they use a range of equipment such as knives for cutting and peeling. They can also learn about the nutritional values of different foods, being healthy and the importance of hygiene which links to children’s self-care.
Coram PACEY members access your exclusive resources on Nutrition and Cooking with children. Watch back the member-exclusive webinar Helping children love new foods aimed at early years children, but the principles can be relevant for all ages.
