Your news: Top catering award for Busy Bee nurseries

The Gold Award recognises that the Busy Bees nurseries at Horsham, Haywards Heath and Worthing, along with ten other Busy Bees nurseries across the country, are dedicated to serving fresh, healthy meals which is better for the environment through sourcing food from local suppliers.

To gain the Gold Food for Life Catering Mark, the Busy Bees nurseries in West Sussex, demonstrated that fresh food is always on their seasonal menus, prepared by highly-trained catering staff.

The standard also guarantees that all ingredients are ethically and sustainably sourced, free from additives and at least 15 per cent of the ingredients are organic.

Mel Fox, Senior Catering Manager at Busy Bees, said: “Having achieved this prestigious award we hope that our parents can feel confident that what goes into our menus to feed their children is the very best produce available.

“Good nutrition in the early years is crucially important for a child’s growth and development and will impact on their life-long health and well-being and success.

“The Catering Mark will ensure good quality; nutritious food and drinks are served alongside support and encouragement for children in the first five years of life to develop good eating habits for life.”

David Persaud, Catering Mark Development Manager for the Midlands from the Soil Association Certification said: “To achieve a Food for Life Catering Mark is no small achievement at any level.

“The time needed to ensure menus are prepared to the standards that the Soil Association require takes a huge level of commitment and Busy Bees have shown this for a number of years now. It’s so important that our children are fed well, most of us recognise that, but to feed them well whilst also considering where the food is coming from and committing to using produce that promotes higher levels of animal welfare, ethics and sustainability takes it to another level.

“Busy Bees are continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible and the achievement of a Gold Catering Mark highlights that. This award gives independent assurances to the parents and families of Busy Bees children that their little ones are receiving outstanding food every day.”

Busy Bees nurseries at Horsham, Haywards Heath and Worthing are part of the award winning Busy Bees nursery group, the UK’s largest provider of quality childcare.

The first Busy Bees nursery – The Rocklands in Lichfield - was opened in 1984, by three couples who were dissatisfied with the childcare options available to them. Two of the founders, Marg Randles (MD) and John Woodward (CEO), are still working full time in the business.

As well as 267 nurseries in the UK, Busy Bees also operates two children’s centres and an independent primary school. In 2013, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan invested in the business, enabling Busy Bees to expand internationally. In early 2015, 60 Knowledge Universe nurseries across Singapore and Malaysia and Singapore’s Asian International College became part of the Busy Bees family.

For more details go to the Busy Bees website at https://www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk/

Contributed by Busy Bees

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