Nurseries reducing fresh fruit and vegetable portions given to children amid funding shortfall, charity warns

Nurseries are reducing the fresh fruit and vegetable portions given to children because of cuts that are threatening to shut nearly one in five in England’s poorest areas, a charity has warned.

Some childcare providers have been forced to offer young children tinned food and “fatty” meats due to a shortfall in government funding, according to the Early Years Alliance (EYA).

A report has revealed that 17 per cent of providers, including nurseries, pre-schools and childminders, in the most deprived areas of the country anticipate being shut in the next year.

Nearly one in five have been forced to lower the quality of food given to children, while almost half have had to cut back on learning resources, the survey of more than 350 childcare providers found.

Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager at EYA, told The Independent: “Providers are having to make really difficult decisions and sometimes that does involve the food that is being served.

“We are hearing of people cutting down on fresh fruit and vegetables that they are offering.

“Sometimes it is about buying lower quality items such as fattier meat, or sometimes it is about changing the frequency of certain foods being served. Not having fresh fish as often.”

Public Health England recommends giving a variety of fruit and vegetables to young children for every meal during the day, including as snacks, to help develop their health and wellbeing.

The guidelines for childcare providers advise against offering canned vegetables and fruit with added salt and sugar – and adds that baked beans should not be given more than once a week.

Ms Pilcher added: “Unfortunately quite often the cheaper option is the less healthy option. Sometimes it is about ease of availability. Not being able to go out and source the best products.

“Early years providers are in the best possible position to help tackle the obesity crisis that we have so it is unacceptable that we find ourselves in this position.”

Childcare providers will face an estimated funding deficit of £455m in 2019-2020 – which will rise to £662m when subsidies for younger age groups are taken into account, the charity research adds.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of EYA, warned that the nursery sector was “in crisis”, adding that thousands of providers have already closed their doors.

“Providers are straining to deliver quality childcare on funding levels set in 2015, leaving them forced to choose between reducing quality and charging ever higher fees or closing their doors,” he said.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association warned the gap between government funding for ‘free’ hours and the amount it costs nurseries to deliver this is widening.

She said: “This is squeezing nurseries to the point where they are really struggling to stay open.”

Parents in some areas of the country are being asked to make voluntary contributions while others are being charged for extras, like healthy snacks, to stay afloat, she told The Independent.

Ms Tanuku said: “We have urged the government again and again to make funding available that covers the promises they have made to parents, but they are just not listening.”

Tracy Brabin, Labour’s shadow early years minister, added that the government’s policies and funding cuts were “hurting providers in the poorest areas the hardest”.

The Department for Education (DfE) said its funding formula to local authorities was fair, transparent and being monitored.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We want every child to have the best start in life, which is why we are planning to spend around £3.5bn on our early education entitlements this year alone – more than any previous government.

“The government provides a significant package of childcare to parents and carers, including our 30 hours offer for working parents of three and four year olds, which benefited over 340,000 children in the first year of delivery.

“Low income families also have access to support through universal credit, which can cover up to 85 per cent of childcare costs.”

They added: “We recognise the need to keep our evidence base on costs up to date and we continue to monitor the provider market closely through a range of research projects.”