Lunches and Snacks at Early Bird

Early Years Nutrition Guidance & New Lunchbox Policy

The Department for Education has released a new document ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Nutrition Guidance’. In response to this, we have reviewed and updated our mealtime policies and procedures, including snack and lunchtime routines, to ensure we continue to support healthy and balanced diets for all children in our care.

 What’s New?

The updated guidance includes a helpful table outlining the types of food we should:

• Provide regularly (e.g. fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, dairy)

• Limit (e.g. processed snacks, sweetened yoghurts)

• Avoid (e.g. sugary drinks, sweets, and high-fat/salt foods)

 Understanding Traffic Light Labels

Many food products now display colour-coded traffic light labels to help identify levels of key nutrients:

• Green = Low in fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt (healthier choice)

• Amber = Medium levels

• Red = High levels (should be avoided or limited)

We encourage parents to use these labels when preparing their child’s lunchbox. In general, foods with mostly green or amber labels are preferred. Foods with red labels should not be included, as they are typically high in sugar, saturated fat, and salt.

New Lunchbox Guide

We have introduced a new lunchbox guide, which must now be followed by all parents. This guide provides clear advice on what items are suitable to meet the updated nutritional standards. We appreciate your support in helping us promote healthy habits and choices for the children.