Bremner & Co are delighted to be working with Public Health Wales on a new project aimed at strengthening understanding of food provision across early years settings in Wales, supporting action towards a healthier, fairer future for children and families.
About the project
This project will deliver a comprehensive landscape review of early years food provision across Wales, examining the policies, programmes and system factors that shape how food is provided in childcare and early education settings.
This project will combine desk-based research with stakeholder engagement to build a picture of how existing policies are understood and implemented in practice, where inconsistencies or gaps exist and where there are opportunities for more coordinated and equitable support. Through a co-design process, we will then translate these findings into practical, system-level recommendations to help Public Health Wales and partners strengthen food environments for young children across the country.
The work responds to growing recognition across the UK and Wales that the early years are critical in shaping lifelong health outcomes. Despite strong policy ambition, variation in delivery models, strategic priorities and access to support limits impact. This project will provide the evidence base needed for Wales to more strategically support the early years sector and local authorities in improving food provision in early years settings.
Supporting Public Health Wales’ vision for a healthier, fairer Wales
This project will support Public Health Wales in delivering its policy priorities for a healthier, fairer Wales: in particular, ensuring every child has the best start in life, enabling them to build lifelong health and wellbeing.
A key element of Public Health Wales’ prevention-focused approach is prioritising the health and wellbeing of babies, children and young people so they can thrive today and shape resilient communities tomorrow. This includes ensuring families have access to the right support, safe and nurturing environments and protection from harms, including poverty.
Improving food provision in early years settings plays a vital role in reducing health inequities, supporting child development and enabling children to grow up strong, healthy and happy. By strengthening understanding of the Welsh early years food system, this landscape review will enable Wales to deliver interventions that make sure all families have access to the right early years support, safe places to play and nurturing care.
Bringing expertise from across early years food systems
Bremner & Co bring extensive experience working across early years food policy, research and system change. We are pleased to contribute learning from our wider portfolio of work supporting local authorities, public health partners and national organisations to improve food environments for young children.
This includes research conducted through the FixOurFood programme exploring the challenges of food procurement and provision in early years settings in Yorkshire, which highlighted the practical barriers settings face in delivering nutritious food within complex funding and policy environments. We also convene the Early Years Food Coalition, a cross-sector partnership working to strengthen national policy and advocacy around early years nutrition and food access.
Working collaboratively
The project will be delivered in close collaboration with Public Health Wales, Welsh Government stakeholders, local authorities, practitioners and sector partners. A co-production approach will ensure that the recommendations align with Public Health Wales’ priorities and are practical for those responsible for delivery.
We are proud to support Public Health Wales in progressing its ambition to give every child in Wales the best possible start in life, and we’re looking forward to getting started.