Food & Drink Policy 2022

Food and Drink Policy

Policy Statement

Play Inclusion Project believes eating and preparing food should be an enjoyable experience. Our aim is for mealtimes to be an enjoyable, sociable experience for all staff, volunteers, children and young people.

Each child and young person’s dietary requirements, food allergies and support needs when eating/drinking are recorded on their individual care plan. Parents sign and date the care plan to signify the information is correct.
Parents are responsible for informing the Activity Coordinator of any changes to their child’s dietary needs and requirements.
During Activity Club children require a packed lunch each day, unless otherwise stated in the invite letter.

Play Inclusion Project does not have access to refrigeration facilities and parents/carers are asked to bear this in mind when selecting and preparing food.
Support staff will ensure the child they are supporting has washed their hands before eating, has collected their own lunch box and check other lunch boxes if they are supporting a child with a food allergy. Support staff will also help those that require assistance with eating their meal, this may include hand over hand feeding, placing small amounts of food in front of the child/young person or feeding a child.

In order to protect children with food allergies we do not allow children or young people to swap or share foods with one another.
Staff will eat their lunch with the children and young people at mealtimes and will set a good example by encouraging table manners and promoting a positive atmosphere. Children and young people are encouraged to say please and thank you at all times.

Staff must not drink hot drinks or eat hot food such as soup around any of the children and young people.
Slow eaters will be given time to finish their meal and will never be rushed.

Parents/carers will be informed if their child has not eaten well.
Water will be made available to all children and young people throughout the day and any request for a drink will be responded to immediately.

All children who have dietary requirements or food allergies will be respected. Any cooking activities will be planned around individual dietary requirements.
On days that include a trip to McDonalds parents are required to provide their child with money to pay for it and must inform the support worker of what their child would like if they are not able to order for themselves.

Food Preparation

Only staff with the relevant food hygiene qualification will prepare food.

Personal Hygiene

Staff must wear appropriate protective clothing at all times when preparing food.
Children and young people helping with food preparation/food delivery must adhere to the above standard.

Food should be consumed in the room in which it was prepared wherever possible.
Sensible footwear should be worn, not open sandals.

One plain band wedding ring may be worn.
Small sleeper earrings or studs may be worn.

Any other items of jewellery that cannot be removed must be covered with a blue plaster or blue gloves should be worn.
The wearing of false nails, nail extensions and or nail varnish is not permitted.

The minimum expectation is that hair will be tied back irrespective of gender and no grips or clips should be worn.

As a matter of policy, hands should be washed in anti- bacterial soap and should take place:

before preparing food and after:
after going to the toilet.
after handling waste/ carrying out cleaning.
after blowing the nose or touching other parts of the body likely to harbour bacteria e.g. nose, mouth, hair, ears.

Anyone suffering bouts of sickness and/ or diarrhoea should be clear for 48 hours before working with food.