Should Nursery Meals Be an Optional Extra?
On the 21st February, the Department for Education (DfE) updated its guidance for local authorities on how the funded hours should be delivered to ‘ensure no family is priced out of the support they need’.
The new guidance confirms that while nurseries can charge for meals, these charges must remain optional. As a result, more children in early years settings may start bringing packed lunches from home. But, what does this mean for nurseries and childcare providers? How might this shift impact mealtimes, nutrition, and the overall nursery experience? Let’s take a closer look.
What the new DfE guidance means for nursery food provision
Currently, free school meals in the UK are only available for children aged four and above, leaving nursery-aged children from low-income families without additional support. At the same time, new safeguarding requirements around food safety make food provision a key concern for nurseries.
Nurseries take different approaches—some provide all meals, others use external catering, while some only offer snacks or no food at all. With these changes, will more parents opt for packed lunches? If so, what does this mean for nutrition, food quality, and fairness?
What the DfE says:
“Providers should be mindful of the impact of additional charges on parents, especially those who are most disadvantaged. Providers who choose to offer the free entitlements are responsible for setting their own policy on alternatives to additional charges, including allowing parents to supply their own meals or waiving or reducing meal costs.”
Key challenges for nursery managers
While giving families flexibility is important, these changes create challenges for nursery practitioners who must:
- Encourage healthy eating while respecting family preferences.
- Navigate packed-lunch policies that promote balanced meals.
- Communicate with parents in a way that avoids stigma or pressure.
There is little official guidance on how nurseries should handle packed lunches while supporting both families and staff. Without a clear framework, how can settings ensure children receive nutritious meals without adding stress for parents or putting nurseries in a difficult position?
Balancing cooked meals and packed lunches
Will parents see the value in paying for high-quality nursery meals? If they feel a packed lunch is just as good, or that meal costs are too high – some may opt out. But if only a handful of families choose packed lunches, nurseries are left with a challenge: fewer children paying for meals means kitchen costs are spread across fewer places, pushing prices even higher. If numbers drop too low, could nursery meals become unviable altogether?
The Government suggests packed lunches might be a cheaper option, but in reality, they’re often not as nutritious. And for busy parents, preparing a daily lunchbox isn’t always practical. Food in the early years is just as vital as education—it fuels growth, development, and learning. For some children, a hot nursery meal is the most nourishing one they’ll have all day.
Many nurseries are now figuring out how to balance both options. Here’s how they can adapt:
Packed lunch policies
- Set clear guidelines to encourage balanced, healthy choices while respecting parents’ preferences.
- Ensure food safety measures, especially for allergies.
- Provide resources to help parents put together nutritious packed lunches.
Allergy management
For children with food allergies, safety is paramount. The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation has launched Allergy School, a free resource to help nurseries create safe, inclusive mealtime environments—supporting statutory safeguarding duties.
Why nursery meals still matter
While packed lunches provide flexibility, nursery meals offer some key benefits:
- Nutritional balance – Carefully planned menus ensure a variety of nutrients.
- Convenience for parents – No need to prepare daily lunches.
- Allergy control – Meals are prepared with allergens in mind.
- Engaging learning experiences – Themed meal days for national days make food fun.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Catherine Lippe, a Consultant Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) specialising in infant and early years nutrition, as well as a Nursery Kitchen Nutritionist, to get her thoughts on the growing trend of food being brought from home in early years settings. Catherine shared some key concerns surrounding this issue:
Nutritional quality of packed lunches:
One of Catherine’s primary concerns is the nutritional quality of packed lunches, which can vary significantly. Packed lunches are often less varied, contain more HFSS (high in fat, salt, and sugar) foods, and generally don’t meet the nutritional standards set for meals provided by nurseries or caterers.
Impact on low-income families:
The rise in packed lunches could also widen the health gap, particularly for low-income families. Children who bring their own lunch may miss out on trying new foods that they wouldn’t normally have at home. This lack of exposure could have lasting impacts on their dietary habits and food preferences as they grow older.
The challenges of packed lunch policies:
Managing packed lunch policies in early years settings presents its own set of challenges. How can nurseries monitor and provide guidance on improving packed lunches when many families simply can’t afford to make any changes? Are nurseries forced to turn a blind eye?
Food safety concerns:
Food safety is another significant issue Catherine raised. Without the proper systems in place to store lunch boxes in temperature-controlled environments, food can quickly become unsafe to eat, putting children at risk.
Catherine’s insights shed light on some pressing challenges faced by early years settings when it comes to food brought from home. Her thoughts emphasise the need for better support and practical solutions to ensure the health and safety of young children.
Keeping parents informed
To highlight the value of your nursery meals you may want to consider:
- Sharing photos of children enjoying meals via parent communication apps like ParentZone.
- Providing real-time updates on what and how much their child has eaten.
- Engaging parents with menu updates and feedback opportunities.
For more insights on food provision, be sure to check out Connect Childcare’s blog: Is it Time to Update Your Nursery Menu? or H is for Health and Nutrition, a guest blog by Catherine Lippe, Nursery Kitchen.
Share this article
About the Author
Content Marketing Executive at Connect Childcare