Woolworths at Work – Early learning menus

Our children deserve the best in nutritional care and nourishment.

We recognised the challenge for childcare centres to provide nutritionally rich, enjoyable and convenient menu options to children. In collaboration with Woolworths at Work, we developed nutritionally-balanced and appealing menus for childcare centres, fostering positive life-long eating habits among children.

Leveraging our nutrition expertise and extensive connections within the long day care sector, our team designed nutritious, cost-effective, and seasonally appropriate menus that aligned with the National Quality Standards. These menus were structured around essential food groups and include a variety of simple, child-friendly recipes.

Woolworths at Work used its prominent marketplace position to enhance delivery of the initiative by providing a dedicated support team to assist with online ordering queries.

• Developed rotating 4-week seasonal menu packs, customised to the number of children at the centre.
• 120 dietitian-approved, balanced recipes, catering to diverse dietary needs, including nut-free, vegetarian, and culturally diverse options.
• A comprehensive Welcome Guide with additional information and tools to promote healthy eating.
• Simplified and efficient ingredient ordering through Woolworths’ online platform.
• Adjusted orders based on headcount to reduce food waste.

The menus were developed to meet the Menu Planning Guidelines for Long Day Care and the Australian Dietary Guidelines. They also support childcare centres in achieving accreditation for Quality Area 2 of the National Quality Standards.

The long day care menus provided to childcare centres across Australia resulted in:

• time-saving benefits in planning, budgeting, sourcing, and ordering
• cost-effective meal planning within budget constraints
• significant reduction in food waste, thanks to tailored portion sizes and appealing recipes
• enhanced shopping experience with increased completion of orders.