UK: Busy Bees achieves bronze Food for Life Catering Mark

Busy Bees, the UK’s largest childcare provider, has been awarded the bronze Food for Life Catering Mark  from the Soil Association for its meals in 129 nurseries across England and Wales. This guarantees that all 14,000 meals served to children at Busy Bees nurseries every week day are freshly prepared from seasonal ingredients, meals contain no undesirable food additives or hydrogenated fats, meat is from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards, eggs are from cage-free hens, no GM ingredients are used and training for the caterers is provided.

Busy Bees employ a dedicated catering team at each of their nurseries, all of whom are required to complete an exclusively developed Early Years Nutrition course. Mel Fox, Catering Manager at Busy Bees, comments on their achievement: “We are proud to have achieved the bronze Food for Life Catering Mark. This award means that parents can be certain that the food their children are eating at nursery is freshly prepared using quality ingredients. The Catering Mark offers recognition for the high standard of our food and provides an independent guarantee from the Soil Association that we’re really providing the best food service for the children.”
 

Busy Bees have plans to work towards the silver award in 2013. The silver and gold Catering Mark standards are assessed on a points system. Food providers are rewarded for every percentage point of their ingredient spend on items including organic and free range animal products, locally sourced ingredients and steps to offer healthier menus. The points system maintains rigorous principles for environmentally friendly, local and healthy food, yet offers flexibility to recognise food providers’ different strengths and priorities. Silver and gold Catering Mark holders must also meet the bronze standards, the Soil Assocation reports. (Pictures by Busy Bees - children involved in cooking at nurseries)

Soil Association