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Busy Bees, the UK’s largest childcare provider, has been awarded the bronze Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association for serving fresh and healthy meals in 129 nurseries across England and Wales.

The ‘bronze’ guarantees that all 14,000 meals served to children at Busy Bees nurseries every week day are freshly prepared from seasonal ingredients, better for animal welfare, and free from trans fats and genetically modified (GM) ingredients.

Rob Sexton, chief executive of Soil Association certification, said: “They are also free from additives which have been shown to affect children’s behaviour – such as MSG, aspartame and tartrazine – so parents can rest assured that their little ones are getting the good food they deserve.

“More and more, people want to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. The Food for Life Catering Mark offers a guarantee that fresh food you can trust is always on the menu.

“The Catering Mark is open to all food providers. The bronze, silver and gold tiers offer a step-by-step route to serving more locally produced, seasonal, healthy and organic food.”

Busy Bees employs a catering team at each nursery, all of whom are required to complete an exclusively developed Early Years Nutrition course. Mel Fox, catering manager at Busy Bees, said: ““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.”

Sexton added: “The bronze Catering Mark is an excellent achievement which recognises the vital role that fresh, seasonal meals play in healthy and planet-friendly menus.

“One in four children are overweight when they start primary school so developing healthy eating habits at nursery is vital to get them on the right path for the future.

“The Catering Mark reassures parents that their children’s meals at nursery are prepared from scratch and free from GM ingredients and trans fats.”