As part of celebrations to mark 70 years of the NHS, Busy Bees, the leading childcare provider in the UK, has launched a new summer menu which achieves NHS Startwell accreditation.
The voluntary accreditation provides guidelines for nursery settings to ensure the meals they prepare have the right nutritional balance pre-school children need for healthy and happy early years.
Busy Bees is the first nursery group to achieve the NHS Startwell menu accreditation, which also meets Public Health England Early Years guidance.
The official launch of the new menus took place on the NHS’s 70th birthday (Thursday 5 July) in Busy Bees at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital nursery, which is one of Busy Bees’ 351 settings that care for more than 35,000 children in the UK.
Nursery staff were joined by children, parents – the majority of whom work within the hospital and Gemma Gill, Consultant and Nutritionist at NHS Startwell, to try out recipes from the new menu including lentil curry, tuna crunch wrap and a fruit platter.
Marg Randles, Chief Academic Officer and Co-Founder at Busy Bees said:
“With the NHS turning 70 this week, we thought there was no better time to launch our new summer menu. We have worked closely with NHS Startwell to ensure that the recipes on our menus provide the nutrition to support our childrens growth as well as cognitive development. Healthy food is so important for young children and can have a big impact on their long-term wellbeing. It’s all part of ensuring that we provide a healthy environment for our children to grow in and that every element of our care gives our children the best start in life.”
Gemma Gill, Consultant and Nutritionist at NHS Startwell said:
“For nursery settings, child carers and parents, it’s important to provide children with the right types and portions of food. Helping them eat healthily and be active in their early years can make a big difference to future food choices and health. The Startwell menu accreditation sets out guidelines to help settings plan and prepare meals that create a healthy environment for young children. It was great to work with Busy Bees, its new summer menu will provide the children in its care with the nutrients and minerals needed to fuel their energy, help stimulate their curiosity and give them a healthy beginning to their development.”
