The early years are a crucial time to set the foundations for a lifetime. Providing high quality, balanced and age appropriate nutrition means that children have the opportunity to get the right nutrients needed for growth and 
development. It can also develop positive eating habits which can have a long term influence. Introducing children to other food activities early such as cooking can help influence food habits and preferences.

From September 2025, there will be a new requirement in the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the EYFS that providers ‘should’ have regard to this new nutrition guidance. This means providers must take this guidance into account and should follow it unless there is good reason not to. This guidance will support providers to understand how to implement the existing EYFS requirement that states: ‘Where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious.’


At Telford & Wrekin Council we have created some resources to help you comply with this new guidance:

• Checklists for the guidance 
• EYFS Food policy template
• EYFS Safer eating policy template
• Celebration top tips poster

Better Health, formally known as Change4life, is a trusted NHS resource where user friendly food and nutritional information can be found, with helpful tools to teach children and families about eating well, sugar intake and tasty food swaps they can make.

Food a fact of life have created activity ideas and resources to support the teaching and learning of food with young children. They have been developed to be used by early years specialists to stimulate children’s interest in food.

The Government have collated a webpage to support you as early years providers support food and nutrition in your setting. This includes information on food allergies and intolerances, resources for cost-effective healthy food as well as ideas for planning and delivery food based activities in your setting.