Food and Nutrition guidance
Learn about the food requirements for HAF clubs, including meal standards, guidance on managing dietary needs and useful recipe tips.
Overview
All providers must provide at least 1 meal a day (breakfast, lunch or an evening meal) and all food provided at It’s About Me clubs (including snacks) must meet school food standards.
For some children, the opportunity to enjoy a hot meal at a It’s About Me club is important and our aspiration is that providers should, where possible, try to offer hot meals to children attending It’s About Me clubs. However, we acknowledge that this is not always possible and that alternatives to hot meals can sometimes be more suitable.
To ensure that all children receive a high quality and stigma free experience, if a provider is open to both -funded and non-It’s About Me-funded places, it is vital that all of the children attending are provided with an identical food offer and that all children are treated equally.
All food provided as part of the It’s About Me programme must:
- Comply with regulations on food preparation
- Take into account allergies and dietary requirements
- Take into account any religious or cultural requirements for food
There is flexibility in the design of the food provision which should always be tailored to ensure that all food meets the dietary needs of the children and families who attend. The food served should also be appropriate for the nature of the session, for example, offering cold packed lunches for parks or outdoor venues or for day trips.
Need further support? Get in touch.
Pam Noel | Food and Nutrition Lead
Resources
To help you create a nutritious and delicious menu we’ve included some great tools below.
Food and Nutrition Guide
Helpful guidance on creating a fantastic food offer, including advice on training for your team and great tips to get kids eating healthy meals.
Menu Template
Use our handy menu template to plan out your meals for your sessions.
Guide to packed lunches
Use this fantastic guide to help plan ahead and try out some of the tasty replacements for kid’s familiar favourites.
Breakfast Guidance
Guidance for your additional breakfast provision, what to buy and what to avoid.
Hakuna Fruitata
Take a look at our Hakuna Fruitata resource for fun ways to include food education in your programme.
Get Set to Eat Fresh – HAF Facilitator Guide
Primary and Secondary Get Set to Eat Fresh resources specially selected for Holiday Activity and Food Programme facilitators.
Healthy Pot Noodle
Follow this guide to create healthy pot noodles for children to add their own vegetables and take home to eat later.
Hot Cross Bunnies Recipe Card
Make hot cross bunnies during Easter HAF with this easy to follow, easy-to-replicate recipe
Outdoor Cooking Bread on a Stick
A very basic, easy-to-follow recipe with minimal ingredients to cook around a fire
Outdoor Cooking Recipe Ideas
A variety of additional recipes in outdoor cooking sessions
Pizza Burritos Recipe Sheet
An alternative option to a sandwich for children and young people to add different fillings and toppings as they wish
Safe Knife Skills Demo
An outline of the key teaching and learning points when supporting young children on how to use a knife safely
Full of Beans
This contains all the resources you need to be able to develop and provide activities with children to support the Full of Beans campaign.
Salad Shakers Recipe
An easy, tasty salad recipe suitable for all ages.
Let’s Talk About Food Recipes – Breakfast
A selection of easy-to-follow breakfast recipes suitable for all ages.
Let’s Talk About Food Recipes- Lunch
A selection of easy-to-follow lunch recipes suitable for all ages.
A guide to third party food suppliers
If another organisation is providing the meals for your holiday club food, check out this handy guide.
Allergen Guidance
Guidance for food businesses on providing allergen information and best practice for handling allergens.