As per the Nutrition guidelines with every lunch and tea we provide two courses. We recognise that a second course can offer additional nutrients, adding valuable nutrition and variety to a child's diet
We work hard with our nursery partners to consider the messaging and relationships children build with food and welcome settings to serve the second course alongside the main meal if they wish. This aims to give all foods an equal footing and to help children embrace and appreciate all foods.
To minimise children’s intake of added sugars, none of our second courses contain any added or free sugars, only sugar found naturally within foods such as fruit or plain yoghurt. This means all our second course options are suitable for infants under 12 months as it complies with the Department of Health guidance that sweetened puddings are not offered to children under one year.
This approach also removes the idea that children must finish their main meal before
they are allowed the second course.
We understand that this approach is not always practical for all settings and continue to promote a healthy relationship with food in other ways such as using the terminology ‘second course’ rather than ‘pudding or ‘dessert’ and always including a savoury second course once a week for lunch and tea.