Nurseries need help to maintain nutrition as a key cornerstone of a child’s development

That is why it is concerning to see that some nurseries across Yorkshire are struggling to source healthy local food due to lack of funding and a workforce crisis.

It has seen some resort to going to the local corner shop to buy lunches for children, according to a report by researchers at the University of York, food policy consultancy Bremner and Co and the charity The Food Foundation.

Many childcare settings are struggling to procure local nutritious food and employ staff to prepare it. One even reported relying on food donations from a charity to be able to provide healthy meals.

This situation is only likely to worsen when it comes to childrens’ nutrition in the region. Yorkshire has the second highest number of children under 16 living in absolute poverty at 21.5 per cent. Yet only five per cent of early years Yorkshire children were registered as eligible for free school meals (FSM) in childcare settings, compared with a national figure of eight per cent.

Public finances are under huge pressure but any incoming government cannot ignore this issue.

To do so would only lead to greater problems down the line with children suffering from a poor diet.

Societal attitudes need to change when it comes to sourcing and consuming food with a greater emphasis on healthy local food. That can only come if it is ingrained in children from an early age.