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Providing Food at your Club
Registering as a food business
You may not be aware, but if you serve any food at all at your out of school club, your club is classed as a "food business" and as such needs to be registered with your local authority.According to the Food Standards Agency:
"Registration applies to most types of food business, including catering businesses run from home and mobile or temporary premises, such as stalls and vans. If you use two or more premises, you will need to register all of them.
If food premises are used by several catering businesses (for example, a village hall or conference centre), the person who allows the premises to be used for this purpose is responsible for registering them.
If food premises are used by several catering businesses (for example, a village hall or conference centre), the person who allows the premises to be used for this purpose is responsible for registering them.
Registration is free and fairly straightforward. Many local authorities have the registration form available to download from their websites, and some will allow you to apply online. You will also have to consider these things:
- Do the design and construction of your premises meet legal requirement?
- Have you put food safety management procedures in place and are you keeping up-to-date records of these?
- Do you and your staff understand the principles of good food hygiene?
- Have you considered health and safety and fire safety arrangements?
- Do you describe food and drink accurately?
Food handling training
Surprisingly there is no legal requirement for operators of food businesses to hold a formal food hygiene qualification just that they have had some training. However Ofsted will expect that at least one member of staff at an Ofsted registered setting has a Food Handling and Hygiene Level 2 qualification.Most clubs have a couple of staff who have the formal food handling and hygiene qualification, who then inform other staff members of best practice. Many local authorities will provide food hygiene courses for childcare settings, often funding them for one or two members of staff each year. If this is the case in your area, it is a good idea to implement a training plan so that over, say, a three year cycle all staff receive formal training.
Food regulations for Early Years settings
Out of school clubs also have other statutory regulations that they must adhere to when providing food and drink for the children in their care. The welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage state that:"Providers must engage with, and provide the following information for, parents:
- (What) food and drinks are provided for the children;
Providers must obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to the provision, including:
- The child's special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;"
- (What) food and drinks are provided for the children;
Providers must obtain necessary information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to the provision, including:
- The child's special dietary requirements, preferences or food allergies the child may have;"
p24 EYFS Statutory Framework
In addition you must adhere to the specific legal requirements relating to food and drink:
- Where children are provided with meals, snacks and drinks, these must be healthy, balanced and nutritious
- Those responsible for the preparation and handling of food must be competent to do so.
- Fresh drinking water must be available at all times.
- Registered providers must notify Ofsted of any food poisoning affecting two or more childrenlooked after on the premises. ... A registered provider who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with this requirement, commits an offence.
p28 EYFS Statutory Framework
The Early Years Foundation Stage also offers additional guidance with regard to the provision of food and drink in a childcare setting
- Children should be provided with healthy meals and other healthy snacks and drinks as appropriate.
- Providers should obtain, record and act on information from parents about a child's dietary needs.
- Providers should be aware of their responsibilities under food hygiene legislation including registration with the relevant Local Authority Environmental Health Department.
- In group provision, food hygiene matters should be included in induction and on-the-job training, which is available to all staff involved in the preparation and handling of food.
- If parents provide packed lunches, providers should inform them about what can be stored safely and about appropriate food content.
p28 EYFS Statutory Framework
Healthy eating
It is a specific legal requirement that the food and snacks you provide are 'healthy, balanced and nutritious'. There is plenty of information available to help you plan a healthy menu, for example you could try:www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk
www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/uptoyou/ has games to help children think about healthy eating
In practice
In practice you have to provide a range of healthy food each day. To help you to achieve this you can involve the children and create a menu of healthy favourites. If you have very fussy eaters, provide fruit juice as well as water, as a glass of juice will counts as one of their 'five a day'. It is also useful to remember that children are far more likely to try something if they have made it themselves—this also encourages independence, so everyone wins.Healthy snack ideas:
- Toast/crackers/tortillas (it is amazing how simple and satisfying the process of spreading toast is for children of any age!)
- Sandwich fillings, eg cheese, ham, marmite, honey, houmous
- Carrot sticks/ cucumber/ celery/ bread sticks with a selection of dips
- Plenty of fresh fruit: grapes, sliced apples, segmented oranges, sliced melon etc