UK nurseries add more vegan options to ‘accelerate healthy eating’ in future generations

Nurseries in the UK are adding more vegan options to their menus to help future generations make better food choices. 

It comes after plant-based food brand Gosh! has partnered with food supplier Nursery Kitchen.

The collaboration will see Gosh! Sweet Potato Pakora and Mediterranean Falafel balls feature as a snacking option in more than 130 nurseries across the country. 

Nurseries go green

Gosh!’s latest partnership follows a slew of reports shedding light on nutrition habits amongst pre-schoolers. 

According to the 2021/22 National Child Measurement Programme, more than a fifth of British children are obese or overweight by the time they get to primary school.

Moreover, First Steps Nutrition Trust reports around 61 percent of two to five-year-old’s energy comes from ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

‘Better diet choices’

In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Hannah Dolan of Nursery Kitchen says the reports ‘signal a drastic need for change’. 

“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,” she explained. 

“We believe that giving children a broad range of flavours and textures is key to inspiring independent selection and a love of healthy food.”

Caroline Hughes, from Gosh!, says the brands products are deigned to ‘banish any blandness from mealtimes’.

She then added: “Exposing children to different plant-based dishes at nursery age means they can kickstart a positive relationship with fruit and vegetables. 

“Our partnership with Nursery Kitchen allows us to reach more children at this critical life stage. [This] influences better diet choices one nursery at a time so we can help create a happier, healthier life for future generations.”

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Featured image © Andrey_Kuzmin