English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The provision of healthy food and beverage choices within settings in which children learn and play is critical to their development of healthy eating patterns. In this issue of CJPH, Ward et al. report on the healthfulness of foods offered within child care settings in two provinces. Specifically, the authors assessed the nutritional profile of lunches, with a focus on food groups from Canada’s Food Guide and dietary components that are the focus of current policy attention, including sugars and sodium. Lunch offerings were generally suboptimal, lacking in fruits, vegetables, meat and alternates, and fibre. The authors found that, according to the standards employed, levels of fats (total, saturated, and trans) and sugars were within recommended amounts, while those of sodium were not. While there have been efforts to reduce trans fats in the food supply, sugars and sodium content remains high, particularly in packaged and processed foods. The conflicting findings for sugars and sodium may reflect uptake among centre staff of sugarrelated public health and media messaging, whereas for sodium, attention has arguably focused more strongly on reformulation. Further exploration of child care centre practices in terms of reliance on packaged and processed foods could provide interesting insights into sources of sodium. In any case, despite possible attention to levels of fats and sugars in lunches served to young children outside of the home, the overall nutritional profile was low, underscoring the need to promote healthy dietary patterns holistically as opposed to a narrow emphasis on specific aspects of foods and beverages. Through their focus on child care settings, Ward et al.’s work contributes to a broader understanding of food environments in settings in which children spend significant amounts of time, with implications for daily intake as well as the development of longerterm food preferences and eating patterns. The authors point to the potential need for comprehensive guidelines for foods offered in child care centres, as well as nutrition education for staff. These interventions are consistent with frameworks such as NOURISHING (developed by the World Cancer Research Fund) that identify a range of actions to promote healthy eating. The “O” in NOURISHING refers to offering healthy food and setting standards in public institutions and other specific settings. In Canada, there are standards in place to promote healthy food environments for children in particular settings; for example, Policy/Program Memorandum No. 150 provides nutrition standards for Ontario schools, and applies to all venues, programs, and events on school properties. However, as Ward et al. note, there is much variation in guidelines for foods offered within child care centres. A similar observation has been made for school breakfast programs, speaking to the need for a comprehensive and linked-up set of guidelines that helps to ensure that children are provided with environments that support healthy eating across settings and throughout the lifecycle. The “G” in NOURISHING relates to giving nutrition Les aliments et boissons auxquels les enfants ont accès hors de la maison : aspects à considérer liés à la recherche, aux politiques et à la surveillance

Foods and beverages available to children in settings outside of the home: Research, policy, and monitoring considerations