Perfect for National Nutrition week 12–18 October 2026
By BEST Childcare Consulting
Food is so much more than fuel. For a young child, food can mean comfort, family, culture, connection, curiosity and belonging. It is the smell of a familiar meal from home, sitting beside friends at morning tea, picking the first strawberry from the garden, helping an educator stir a bowl of ingredients or proudly announcing, “I tried it!”
These everyday moments matter. During the early years, children are not simply learning what to eat. They are developing attitudes towards food, learning to recognise their own hunger and fullness cues, discovering where food comes from and absorbing messages from the adults around them about food, health and eating.
That makes early childhood education and care an incredibly important place for positive food experiences to begin. This National Nutrition Week, 12–18 October 2026, early childhood services have an opportunity to look beyond the menu and consider the whole food environment we create for children.
National Nutrition Week 2026 – Inspiring a Connected and Nourished Australia
Nutrition Australia’s National Nutrition Week 2026 campaign is centred around “Inspiring a connected and nourished Australia.” The campaign highlights four important areas: Positive Food Experiences for Children & Young People; Food & Nutrition Security & Equity; Mental Wellbeing & Food; and Environmental Sustainability & Reducing Food Waste.
Importantly for our sector, early childhood education and care and OSHC are among the audiences for the 2026 campaign. For early childhood services, Positive Food Experiences for Children & Young People provides a particularly meaningful opportunity to consider how our everyday practices influence children’s developing relationships with food.
Rather than simply asking, “Are we providing healthy food?”, perhaps we should also be asking, “What relationship with food are we helping children develop?”
Why Positive Food Experiences Matter in Early Childhood
Early childhood is a significant period for physical growth, brain development and the establishment of lifelong behaviours. ACECQA notes that children may consume up to two-thirds of their daily dietary intake while attending ECEC, making the food environments we provide particularly influential.
Nutrition is therefore much more than a kitchen responsibility. It forms part of our curriculum, relationships, environment, health practices and partnerships with families.
A positive food environment is one where children can explore food without unnecessary pressure, educators model positive attitudes, mealtimes are relaxed and social, and children’s cultural backgrounds, dietary needs, preferences and developing independence are respected. Australian Government Get Up & Grow guidance also promotes positive eating practices, including regular meals and snacks and supporting children to respond to their own hunger and fullness.
This means critically reflecting on statements such as, “You can’t have that until you eat your vegetables,” “Just three more bites,” “That’s bad food,” or “Clean your plate.” Instead, educators can help children become curious, confident and increasingly independent around food. We can talk about what foods look, smell, feel and taste like, where they grow, how they reach our tables, how different families prepare them and how a variety of foods help our bodies grow, play and learn.
Most importantly, eating should be a positive experience rather than a performance children must complete.
A Western Australian Reason to Take Another Look at Our Menus
National Nutrition Week also provides an important opportunity for services to critically reflect on the actual nutritional quality of the food being provided.
Recent research being led by Edith Cowan University is particularly relevant to Western Australian ECEC services. ECU researchers received almost $1 million in Healthway funding to develop a best-practice guide addressing gaps in ECEC food environments. ECU highlighted the substantial amount of time many children spend in centre-based care and the significant contribution ECEC food environments make to children’s overall nutrition.
Of particular concern, limited data cited by ECU indicated that 90% of metropolitan services assessed were failing to provide 50% of the Australian Dietary Guidelines across all food groups. That should give our sector something to think about.
A menu can look appealing, be popular with children and work operationally while still benefiting from nutritional review. National Nutrition Week is therefore a perfect opportunity to ask whether what is actually being served matches the written menu, whether the menu provides an appropriate balance across food groups, whether cultural foods are authentically represented, how much food is being wasted, whether educators are creating positive mealtime experiences and, importantly, how we know our practices are working.
Educational Programming Ideas
Babies – Discovering Food Through the Senses
For babies who are developmentally ready for solids, mealtimes provide rich opportunities for sensory exploration, communication and responsive relationships. Educators can name foods and describe children’s experiences using simple language such as, “The banana is soft,” “This avocado is green,” or “You are touching the yoghurt with your fingers.”
Educators can closely observe babies’ verbal and non-verbal hunger, fullness, interest and refusal cues rather than focusing solely on how much food has been consumed. Food experiences can also include age-appropriate songs, books, photographs and sensory exploration of familiar foods. Families might contribute photographs or information about foods their baby enjoys at home, strengthening continuity between home and the service.
Toddlers – Little Food Explorers
Toddlers are naturally curious and increasingly determined to do things independently, making food experiences wonderful opportunities for agency. A Rainbow Food Investigation could allow children to look, smell, touch, cut with developmentally appropriate utensils, mash and mix different fruits and vegetables without requiring them to taste everything.
Children could plant quick-growing herbs, lettuce or vegetables and help water and care for them. Simple food preparation experiences might include spreading avocado, tearing lettuce, washing vegetables, peeling bananas or mixing yoghurt and fruit. Educators can use descriptive language such as crunchy, smooth, sweet, sour, juicy, warm, cold, soft and crisp, rather than judging foods as simply “good” or “bad.”
Toddlers can also begin discovering where food comes from by connecting familiar foods with their origins, such as apples with trees, carrots with the ground and eggs with chickens.
3-Year Kindy – From Garden to Plate
Three-year-olds are ready to investigate the story behind their food. A From Garden to Plate Project could follow one food, such as tomatoes, strawberries, carrots or herbs, over several weeks. Children could plant seeds, observe and photograph changes, measure growth, harvest produce and eventually use what they have grown in a simple cooking experience.
This naturally integrates curriculum areas. Children can explore science by investigating what plants need to grow, mathematics by counting harvested vegetables, literacy by creating recipes and sustainability by considering what happens to leftover food and scraps.
Introducing a composting system or worm farm can extend the investigation further. Children can discover that food scraps do not necessarily need to become rubbish and can instead help produce something new, providing a practical connection with the 2026 focus on environmental sustainability and reducing food waste.
4-Year Kindy – Food, Family and Culture
Food provides a powerful pathway for exploring identity, family, culture and belonging. Families could be invited to answer a simple question: “Is there a food that is special to your family?” Families might share a recipe, photograph or story, which could become part of an Our Families, Our Food book created with the children.
Children could explore different foods on a world map or investigate the many ways similar foods are prepared across cultures. A bread investigation, for example, could explore damper, naan, roti, tortillas, pita, baguettes and breads represented within the service community. The emphasis should be on recognising connections and diversity rather than presenting culturally diverse foods as unusual or “exotic.”
Children could also become Menu Investigators, meeting with the service cook, discussing ingredients and suggesting meals or snacks. This creates opportunities for genuine children’s agency and turns nutrition education into something children can influence within their own environment.
OSHC – Give Children Real Responsibility
School-aged children can move beyond simply learning about nutrition and become active participants in improving their service’s food environment. A Junior Nutrition and Sustainability Committee could survey other children about afternoon tea, examine food and packaging waste, grow herbs and vegetables, research culturally diverse recipes and work with educators to design new snacks.
Children might conduct a food-waste audit or take part in a Budget Snack Challenge, using mathematics and research skills to design a nutritious afternoon tea within an agreed budget. Older children can also begin exploring food security and considering respectful ways communities support people who experience difficulty accessing nutritious food.
These experiences bring together nutrition, sustainability, mathematics, social responsibility, children’s agency and real-world problem-solving.
Don’t Forget the Cook
In services providing meals, the cook or chef should be part of National Nutrition Week and the educational program throughout the year. They hold valuable knowledge and can become an important member of the children’s learning community.
Invite the cook into children’s rooms to talk about ingredients, demonstrate food preparation or ask children for menu ideas. Children could visit appropriate areas of the kitchen where this can be done safely, learn how meals are prepared and investigate what happens to leftovers and food scraps.
Most importantly, cooks should be involved in menu reviews, family feedback, children’s feedback and critical reflection. Nutrition should never sit entirely in either the kitchen or the classroom. It belongs across the whole service.
National Nutrition Week and Your QIP
National Nutrition Week can generate meaningful evidence across all seven Quality Areas when services move beyond isolated activities and critically examine their ongoing practices.
QA1 – Educational Program and Practice
Embedded Practice: Nutrition education had been embedded within everyday curriculum decision-making, gardening, cooking, mealtimes and children’s investigations rather than being limited to National Nutrition Week.
Critical Reflection: Educators had reflected on the language used around food and reconsidered practices involving pressure, rewards, judgement or categorising foods as simply “good” or “bad.”
Meaningful Engagement: Children and families had contributed recipes, cultural knowledge, food experiences and ideas that informed curriculum planning.
QA2 – Children’s Health and Safety
Embedded Practice: Nutritious food provision, safe food practices, drinking water, dietary requirements and positive mealtime experiences had been consistently incorporated into everyday service practice.
Critical Reflection: The service had reviewed its menu, actual food provision, children’s experiences and food waste to identify opportunities for improvement.
Meaningful Engagement: Families, children, educators and kitchen staff had contributed feedback about menus, cultural foods, dietary requirements and mealtimes.
QA3 – Physical Environment
Embedded Practice: Edible gardens, composting and/or food-waste systems had become ongoing components of the children’s environment.
Critical Reflection: Educators had considered whether the environment genuinely enabled children to understand where food comes from and participate meaningfully in sustainable practices.
Meaningful Engagement: Families and community members had contributed gardening knowledge, seedlings, recipes and cultural knowledge about growing and preparing food.
QA4 – Staffing Arrangements
Embedded Practice: Educators, cooks, educational leaders and management had worked collaboratively to provide consistent nutrition messages and positive mealtime experiences.
Critical Reflection: The team had reflected on whether educator language and practices consistently promoted children’s agency and positive relationships with food.
Meaningful Engagement: Relevant professional and community knowledge had informed discussions about nutrition practices and professional development.
QA5 – Relationships with Children
Embedded Practice: Educators had supported relaxed and respectful mealtimes where children’s hunger and fullness cues, preferences, agency and developing independence were recognised.
Critical Reflection: Educators had examined adult expectations around eating, including whether children were being pressured to taste foods, finish meals or eat particular foods before others.
Meaningful Engagement: Information from children and families had informed individual approaches while respecting children’s culture, dietary requirements, preferences and home experiences.
QA6 – Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities
Embedded Practice: Nutrition had become part of ongoing communication with families rather than being discussed only when concerns or dietary issues arose.
Critical Reflection: The service had considered whether nutrition messaging was accessible, culturally respectful, realistic and supportive rather than judgemental towards families.
Meaningful Engagement: Family knowledge, cultural practices and community expertise had actively influenced menus, curriculum experiences and nutrition initiatives.
QA7 – Governance and Leadership
Embedded Practice: Nutrition, food provision, food safety and positive food experiences had been incorporated into policies, induction, professional discussions, menu reviews and continuous improvement processes.
Critical Reflection: Leadership had reviewed whether written policies were genuinely reflected in everyday practice and whether current menus and educator approaches aligned with contemporary guidance.
Meaningful Engagement: Feedback from children, families, educators, kitchen staff and relevant professionals had informed service improvement priorities.
Keeping Positive Food Experiences Embedded Throughout the Year
Perhaps the most important question comes after National Nutrition Week: what happens next?
If the vegetable investigation disappears, the garden stops being watered and conversations about food end, we have celebrated an awareness week rather than changed practice.
Instead, National Nutrition Week can become the beginning of a broader review of your service’s food culture. Keep children involved in gardening, menu planning and food preparation. Make relaxed and social mealtimes part of your pedagogy. Regularly review menus against recognised nutritional guidance and include your cook in educational planning and critical reflection. Continue asking families about cultural and family food practices, audit food waste with children and make composting and edible gardening part of ongoing sustainability practices.
Educators can also continue reflecting on their own language and expectations around food. Ask whether children are being given genuine agency, whether hunger and fullness cues are respected, whether cultural diversity is visible in the menu and program, and whether the messages children receive about eating are positive and developmentally appropriate.
Most importantly, keep listening to children. Ask them what foods they enjoy, what their families make at home, what they would like to grow, what they would like to cook and what they think should happen to leftover food.
National Nutrition Week lasts seven days. The relationship with food that we help children build can last a lifetime.
Official Links and Resources
Nutrition Australia – National Nutrition Week: The official National Nutrition Week campaign page provides information about the 2026 campaign and resources as they are released.
ACECQA – Quality Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety: Provides guidance regarding children’s health, food and beverages and relevant National Regulations.
ACECQA – Nourishing Nutrition in Early Childhood Education and Care: A useful resource exploring nutrition, children’s development, regulatory requirements and food environments within ECEC.
Australian Government – Get Up & Grow: Provides comprehensive healthy eating and physical activity resources specifically developed for early childhood settings, families and educators.
Get Up & Grow – Positive Eating Practices: Particularly useful when reflecting on educator practices and how adults support children’s developing relationships with food.
Get Up & Grow – Cooking for Children: Includes information about early childhood nutrition, menu planning, food safety and recipes suitable for ECEC.
Edith Cowan University – Working to Address Nutrition Gaps in Early Childhood Education: Provides information about the WA research investigating nutrition and food environments in ECEC.
Coming in September 2026 – A New Best Practice Guide for ECEC Food Environments
There is also an important new resource on the way for Australian early childhood services. Dr Ros Sambell, Senior Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at Edith Cowan University and Chair of the National Nutrition Network for ECEC, is leading the development of the Best Practice Guide for Food Environments in Early Childhood Education and Care, which will officially launch nationally on 22 September 2026. Developed through an extensive co-design process involving the ECEC sector, families, allied health professionals, regulatory representatives and peak bodies, the Guide is described as the first of its kind in Australia and is designed to give centre-based and family day care services practical, evidence-informed guidance for creating food environments in which children from birth to five can thrive. The Guide will be organised around six key areas: mealtime environments and practices; menu and meal quality; food education; sustainability; staff and family engagement; and food policy, with food safety and allergy guidance integrated throughout. A companion resource co-designed with Authorised Officers will also be released alongside it. For services, this is particularly significant because Australia currently has broad regulatory requirements around food provision in ECEC but lacks nationally mandated nutrition standards or a consistent best-practice framework for assessing the quality of the entire food environment. We strongly encourages services to watch for the Guide’s release and use it as an opportunity to review menus, mealtime practices, food education, policies and QIP priorities against the latest evidence-based guidance.
BEST Childcare Consulting
We believe quality in early childhood education is often found in the everyday moments: a shared meal, a child planting a seed, an educator sitting at the table and joining the conversation, a family recipe being recognised and valued, a toddler discovering a new texture without being pressured to eat it, or a cook proudly showing children how their lunch was made.
These moments may seem small, but together they help children develop knowledge, confidence, independence, belonging and a positive relationship with food.
This National Nutrition Week, don’t simply ask whether your menu is compliant. Ask what your whole food environment is teaching children. Because when we create places where children feel connected, included and nourished, we are helping establish foundations that can extend far beyond their early childhood years.
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