Dear Te Ako Community,

We have some exciting news to share with you regarding the food provided to our children. After careful analysis, we have discovered a significant presence of various additives such as artificial preservatives, colorants, thickeners, flavours, and sugars in the meals we currently serve. These additives have shown  to have significant effects on behaviour and physiology, which can influence the development of our children and the overall atmosphere within our daycare. 

To ensure the well-being of our children and staff, we have identified the specific products that contain these potentially harmful additives. Rest assured, we have already found suitable substitutes and will be gradually implementing these changes in the coming weeks. Our aim is to create a seamless transition that prioritises the health and happiness of our little ones.

Now, we need your help! We value your input and want to understand the impact of these improvements. Therefore, we have prepared a brief survey that will provide us with a baseline for the project. This anonymous questionnaire will allow us to assess any behavioural and physiological changes resulting from the new food products used at Te Ako.

Please note that your responses in this survey will be completely anonymous. Your privacy is of utmost importance to us, and all information collected will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. Additionally, we are committed to continuous improvement. In approximately one month’s time, we will conduct another survey to evaluate the ongoing effects of these changes and gather further insights from our community.

Should you have any questions or require further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Indira at i.boppana@auckland.ac.nz. We truly appreciate your involvement in this important endeavour.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the well-being of our Te Ako family.

Warm regards, The Konciencia and Te Ako Team