Industry leaders are calling on the government to deliver stricter, clearer, and more specific food standards for early years settings following a survey that found that over 50% of parents heavily rely on their nursery to feed their children nutritious meals.

Over 10 industry leaders, representing more than 150 early years settings across the UK have submitted a joint letter to government leaders calling for action to turn the tide on nationwide childhood health and obesity issues. The letter highlights that with increasing access to free childcare, more and more parents of children under the age of five will become reliant on early years settings to provide nutritious meals.

The campaign comes as a OnePoll survey found that nearly 70% of parents were unaware that there are no government-backed regulations on what nutritious food should consist of in early years settings. Almost 90% of parents agreed that the government should do more to ensure children in nursery are being fed well.