Nominations are open for Children's Food Awards 2024

Hurrah, the Children's Food Yummies and Yuckies are back! 

Nominations are now open for the most inspiring, impactful people in the world of children's food during 2024: the unsung heroes, the creative campaigners, the local champions, the political movers and shakers, and the people going the extra mile to make sure children access healthy, sustainable and nutritious food. 

We're also on the search for 2024's Yucky villains: the most unhealthy recipe, the worst example of pester power targeted at children, the most misleading packaging and the companies getting in the way of healthy food policies.

The deadline for nominations is Wednesday 6 November 2024. Our judging panel will meet in late November to agree the final winners. Our awards ceremony will take place in early 2025, at a special Children's Food Campaign summit - watch this space!  

Here are the categories that are open for your nominations now:

1. Yummy award for political leadership in championing children's healthy food 

This award recognises politicians and policymakers who have stuck their neck out during 2023-24 to improve children’s food, through their own initiatives, lobbying for regulations and investment and/or speaking out in public. Nominations can include MPs, peers, metropolitan mayors, leaders and politicians in the devolved nations or at local authority level.  You can nominate a single political leader, or a group of politicians (such as a committee or a council). 

In 2023, this award was won by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for funding free school meals for primary school children, and calling on the government to expand national programmes. 

2. Yummy award for championing equality, diversity and inclusion in children's food 

This award recognises an individual or organisation that has changed policies or practices to make them more diverse and inclusive in 2023-24. This might be by championing ethnic diversity in provision of children's food, or by calling out racial inequality in existing policy. Or it could be a platform led by people with first hand experience of injustice or food insecurity, or an initiative that is making food provision more accessible for children often overlooked and excluded. Nominees can be at local, regional or national level, we want to hear who the changemakers for a more diverse, inclusive children's food sector are! 

This is a new award in 2024.

3. Yucky award for the recipe most in need of change

What's the most unhealthy product you've seen that is targetted at children and families? Is there a kids' meal in a takeaway or restaurant chain that needs to be called out? A snack or a breakfast cereal that really belongs in the confectionery aisle? We're looking for examples of products that really should not be as sugary, salty or full of calories as they are, where you think the recipe really needs to change. You don't have to try it, just tell us about it! The product must be on sale at some point during 2024.

This is a new award in 2024.

4. Yucky award for Children's Food Commercial Villain

Who are the companies or industry bodies that are putting profit before young people, standing in the way of progress on children’s food or actively obstructing children accessing healthier food. Who are the companies talking the talk, but never walking the walk? Who are the companies bending the ears of policymakers to stop them from acting for children's health? This award is for behaviour or an initiative in 2023-24.

In 2023, this award was won by Kellogg's for taking the UK Government to court to try to stop new promotional restrictions on less healthy food and drink. They lost the court case, and won the Yucky commercial villain award instead. 

5. Yucky award for most misleading health claims on a product consumed by children

This award recognises companies using techniques to make food and drinks seem healthier than they are through questionable marketing, packaging and labelling claims. For example, sugary breakfast cereals claiming to be ‘high in fibre’, or a toddler snack that pretends to be vegetables but is just a crisp in disguise.  It might be the constant use of child-friendly cartoon characters to get kids pestering parents for unhealthy products. You can nominate specific food and drink products or a company that consistently misleads parents and young people on a range of its products. The product(s) must be on sale at some point during 2024.

In 2023, this award was won by Nestle for a new KitKat breakfast cereal which they claimed was nutritious despite containing 30% of a 7 year old's recommended sugar intake in just a 30g small portion. Following the backlash, Nestle removed the word 'nutritious' from advertising, and called it 'indulgent' instead.

Nominate for these awards now

More Children's Food Awards

This year we're also pleased to partner with several organisations in other categories of the Children's Food Awards. These partners will be leading the nominations process for their awards.

1. School Food Campaign Legend - in partnership with Bremner & Co. This award is for an individual who has had a significant impact in the world of school food during 2023-24, to increase healthiness, quality and access to school food, whether breakfast, lunch or during school holidays, or through food education. They might be working directly in the education sector (primary, secondary or tertiary - see early years award for pre-school), or with a charity or NGO or academic institution. They will have no direct commercial/for profit interest, but might be engaging with school caterers to drive greater impact. 

If you would like to contact Bremner & Co to share a nomination please contact Myles Bremner or Dayna Brackley.

Founder Myles Bremner won this award in 2023, and will pass the award on to his deserving successor! 

2. Early Years Nutrition Legend - in partnership with First Steps Nutrition Trust. This is for organisations or individuals with no commercial interests who are making a meaningful difference to diets, nutrition or the food environment for pregnant or breastfeeding women and/or for babies and young children during 2023-24. It might be on the food environment, in home or in early years settings and at local, regional or national level. 

If you would like to contact First Steps Nutrition Trust to share a nomination please contact: admin@firststepsnutrition.org.

This is a new award in 2024.

3. Children's Food Young Changemaker - in partnership with Bite Back 2030. This award is for any young person up to the age of 21, who has taken initiative in 2023-24 to improve the food system in their school or college, or with their local community, or via raising awareness or teaching skills to others. They can be working at local, regional or national level.

Bite Back 2030 were the overall winners of the award in 2023, and will be looking to hand over their award to an inspiring individual or group of young people from anywhere across the UK. 

4. Best Local Healthy Food Advertising Policy - Sustain's local advertising guru & Commercial Determinants Co-ordinator Fran Bernhardt will lead judging of this. This award is for a council or local authority who has developed and implemented a high quality healthier food advertising policy during 2023-24, and is showing the way so that others can replicate and deliver greater impact.

In 2023 this award was won by Barnsley Council.

5. Best local initiative championing children's healthy food - in partnership with Soil Association's Food for Life programme. This award is for local projects, campaigns or organisations with no commercial or for-profit motive, working with grassroots community groups and networks during 2023-24. It can be about defending against unhealthy food marketing, or providing education and skills or increasing access to healthy food for children. We're looking for great ideas and initiatives that other local areas might want to learn from and replicate.  

If you would like to contact Soil Association to share a nomination please contact: policymail@soilassociation.org.

In 2023, this award was won by 4TheRegion Gower Field to Fork Programme.