27 Feb Anglia Ruskin University and Essex County Council Public Health Hosts Landmark ‘Nourishing Our Future’ Conference to Promote Healthy Eating in Early Years
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Essex County Council (ECC) Public Health are proud to announce the Nourishing Our Future conference, a pioneering event dedicated to exploring and promoting healthy eating in early years settings. This exciting conference will take place on Saturday 15th March at ARU’s Chelmsford campus.
Essex County Council Public Health recognise that early years settings hold significant potential to encourage healthy eating habits among young children, which is vital to support longer term health and future wellbeing. In association with the Essex Healthy Weight Strategy, Our Appetite for Change (Essex County Council, 2024), children and young people are a priority cohort and early years are a priority setting, as such this project sought to understand the current food environment within early years settings in Essex and identify areas of need and realistic and effective opportunities for improvement.
The Nourishing Our Future project is a timely research initiative led by ARU and commissioned by Essex County Council Public Health, that delves into the challenges and opportunities of fostering healthy eating habits in early years settings. By collaborating with educators, parents, and industry leaders, the project aims to create impactful resources and strategies that benefit children across the region and beyond.
Through this conference and accompanying report, we share the extraordinary passion and engagement of a sector whose voices are often missing from healthy eating initiatives and policy development. This unique conference brings together local parents, early educators, researchers, experts, and policy leaders from the intersecting fields of early childhood education, nutrition, and public health. Rarely do these sectors unite in such a focused way, making this event an unparalleled opportunity to exchange insights, showcase innovative practices, and develop real-world strategies for creating healthier food environments for young children.
The day will feature a compelling presentation by the Nourishing Our Future project team, including commissioners and researchers, sharing the important voices of over 200 childminders, practitioners and parents from across day nurseries, preschools, and childminding settings in Essex who took part in the research. Presentations and workshops will highlight their experiences, challenges, and innovative approaches to fostering healthy eating environments for young children.
At the conference we’re delighted to collaborate with inspiring individuals and organisations united in our commitment to advocating for the health and well-being of our youngest children; Dayna Brackley from Bremner and Co, Dr Vicky Sibson from First Steps Nutrition, Sean Cowden at the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), Michael Freeston of the Early Years Alliance, Laura Matthews a Children’s Food Consultant and Nutritionist, and with huge thanks to the generosity of Nursery Kitchen who are supplying the nutritious lunch for the day.
The conference is designed to spark discussion and create collaborative opportunities for attendees to work together, helping to shape and inform the next steps of this vital research project. The event will include workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for early years professionals, policymakers, and researchers to exchange ideas and explore innovative approaches to improving children’s nutrition.
At the conference, we are excited to offer attendees the opportunity to explore the incredible Nourishing Our Future gallery. This unique exhibition showcases 749 photos of food and food education activities shared by 55 of the 200 early years settings that participated in the project. The first time visual representations of what children are eating in their early years in Essex have been collected on such a remarkable scale. The powerful visual display also includes thought-provoking prompts and provocations designed to encourage discussion around ‘A Typical Day on Our Plate’ and consider implications for future research and practice.
