Care Inspectorate encourages healthy eating with the launch of Food Matters

The Care Inspectorate has today (12 March 2019) launched Food Matters, a resource packed full of good practice examples of how to support children and families to develop positive relationships with healthy eating.

Commenting on the launch of the publication, Maggie Simpson, Chief Executive of SCMA said: “Childminders play a huge part in making sure their children eat well and enjoy well balanced nutritious food - standards which are clearly highlighted within the Scottish Governments' Health and Social Care Standards.  I welcome the launch of this publication, which includes childminders, that celebrates the many ways early learning and childcare settings are supporting children to have positive eating experiences.”

Eating well is essential for children in their early years as it can bring a host of health, social and educational benefits. And early learning and childcare settings across the sector are well placed to support children and families to explore and connect positively with food.

Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, Peter Macleod said: “This resource celebrates the many ways in which early learning and childcare settings are supporting children to have positive eating experiences and enjoy well-balanced, nutritious food.

“The Care Inspectorate wants to help make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up and this resource is intended to be practical, inspirational and support improvement across all early learning and childcare care services that children experience. We want to see all care services ensure children are offered well-balanced, minimally processed, nutritious and appetising meals that include fresh fruit and vegetables.

“We have worked alongside the sector to enable providers, practitioners and families to tell their own stories of how they are supporting children to eat well and enjoy good food every day.  This resource compliments, and should be used alongside, NHS Health Scotland’s Setting the Table, the nutritional guidance and food standards for the sector.”