The Feasibility of Use of Organic Products at Child-Care Centre

Summary

The availability and price of organic foods and the nutritional quality of the diet offered to preschool children was studied in two child-care centres, one offering organic foods and the other conventional foods in the daily meals. The study was carried out in the city of Kuopio located in eastern Finland. 79 children participated in the study in the centre offering organic foods and 62 children in the centre offering conventional foods. In both centres the children were from two age groups, 3–5 and 6–7 years of age. The amount of food the children consumed at the centre was recorded by the kitchen staff during two 6-week periods (autumn 2001 and spring 2002), and the parents kept a 7-day food diary of foods consumed by children at home during the 6-week period in the autumn. Intakes of nutrients and two most common food additives (benzoic acid and nitrite) by the children were calculated from the food intake data. A questionnaire was filled by the parents on information of their age, education and profession, number of children in the family, attitude to organic foods and use of organic foods. The price of foods consumed in the centres was calculated, and the problems encountered in availability and use of organic products were examined