According to a recent Health Protection Agency’s report, “clean water and food influence gastrointestinal disease, and levels of air pollution respiratory health. Environmental factors also influence obesity, unintentional injuries, mental health and wellbeing, and environmental factors have been implicated as a cause in conditions such as cancers and congenital abnormalities.

These are amongst the main causes of mortality and morbidity amongst children and young people in the UK today. Given the influence of the environment on many aspects of child health, there is a real opportunity to improve children’s health by ensuring that they live in a clean and healthy environment which nurtures good health and wellbeing.”

The report also outlines that every third of all GP consultations in the UK are for children and young people, and 50 per cent of these are attributed to infections mainly respiratory tract and intestinal infections. Where the reason for the infection is bacterial, and not viral, it is usually caused by poor hygiene habits. Outbreaks of intestinal inflectional disease are still common in the UK: in 2006 25% of reported outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease in England and Wales were associated with schools (including nurseries) and swimming pools.

Recent research from Organix and Soil Association showed that “some nurseries in the UK are regularly serving food that is not permitted or heavily restricted in primary and secondary schools, including crisps, chocolate, lollies, sweets, cakes, biscuits, burgers and chips. Regulations covering the use of food additives such as artificial colourings and artificial sweeteners recognise the special vulnerability of young children by banning the use of some additives in food manufactured for the under-threes. However, the research team found that some nurseries are serving food to children under the age of three that contains such additives, including Sodium aluminium phosphate (E541), Carboxy methyl cellulose (E466), Propyleneglycol esters of fatty acids (E477), Calcium stearoyl lactate (E482), and the colouring Norbixin (E160(b)), as well as the flavour enhancers Monosodium Glutamate (E621) and Disodium 5-ribonucleotide (E635). Without clear regulation and better information for nursery staff, this situation will continue.”

If you are a concerned parent, you may wish to read our campaign Action Plan and discuss the main points with your child’s daycare provider.