MENU ASSESSMENTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE SETTINGS: IMPROVING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE PROVISION OF NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR CHILDREN

The literature identifies that food provided to children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings is not always well aligned with the Australian Dietary Guidelines for children. With less than 10% of children under five years of age consuming adequate vegetables it is important to seek the implementation of strategies that can promote increased vegetable intake. Menu assessments are one strategy that can be utilised in nutrition intervention programs in ECEC settings to effectively increase vegetable intake. NAQ Nutrition (Qld Division of Nutrition Australia) has over 20 years of experience in developing resources and services addressing nutrition and food safety in ECEC settings. Following a review of the literature, E-surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (ECEC directors/educators/cooks; assessment and rating officers; NAQ staff/subcontractors involved in the menu assessment process) to identify areas for quality improvement in NAQs menu assessment process and its effectiveness as a tool for improving nutritional value of food provided in ECEC settings. Results were collated and analysed for common themes, identifying a gap in assessment of the provision of food groups according to recommendations for specific age groups of children to align with the current Australian Dietary Guidelines. New tools and resources developed as a result of the findings will be used to improve feedback and ongoing support for ECEC stakeholders enabling them: (1) to better ensure adequate provision of core food groups to the children; (2) to enhance promotion of healthy eating at their setting; (3) to achieve better collaboration with parents.