You don't like how your child is fed in kindergarten? Change it!

In your opinion, does the menu at your child's kindergarten leave much to be desired? You don't like the products given to your child? Do you have the impression that only you notice these shortcomings ? Do you find it difficult to talk to the facility's management? Put your emotions aside and follow the algorithm below step by step. You will gain strong arguments for discussing changes in nutrition or be reassured that the meals served are in line with official guidelines for children .

Step one – download the menu.

Download your child's weekly menu from the kindergarten website. It's best to print it out and mark all the important elements that you will check.

Step two - verification of the menu with the Regulation of the Minister of Health.

You can read about the most common mistakes made in kindergarten menus here .

When analyzing your child's menu, answer the following questions to check whether the menu meets the requirements of the Regulation of the Minister of Health of July 26, 2016 .

1. Are there at least two main meals in kindergarten (breakfast, lunch)?
2. Do the meals contain products from different food groups : cereal products or potatoes, vegetables or fruit, milk or dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes and other seeds and fats?
3. Are fried foods served no more than once a week?
4. Are the dishes in the facility seasoned with salt, herbs or spices such as Vegeta, Kucharek, etc.?
5. Is at least one (or more) portion of vegetables served in the lunch meal?
6. Are there 3 or more servings of raw vegetables per week?
7. Are there at least 3 different vegetables per week?
8. Are raw and processed fruits served?
9. Does the dried fruit served contain no sugar or other sweeteners, salt or fat?
10. Is 1 or more servings of fruit served at lunch each day ?
11. Do at least 3 different fruits appear per week?
12. Is the weekly proportion maintained - 3 portions of vegetables for 2 fruit?
13. Is there a vegetable or fruit in every meal served at kindergarten?
14. Do cereals or potatoes appear in every main meal?
15. Do breakfast cereals contain no more than 15 g of sugar per 100 g of ready-to-eat product?
16. Do fried dishes from the cereal products category appear at most once a week (e.g. pancakes)?
17. Is fish served at least once a week?
18. Do dairy products have a maximum sugar content of 10g per 100ml?
19. Are at least 2 portions of milk or dairy products served daily in the kindergarten?
20. Do the juices you serve contain no added sugar?
21. Is drinking water available for children?
22. Are the drinks prepared on site without added sugar (sweetening with natural honey allowed)?

Step three – completing the information.

It is completely natural that you may not know what products are used to prepare meals. No one will blame you if you ask about these products. The easiest way is to write an e-mail to the facility's management asking for information, e.g. what cocoa, cereals or other products are used in the kindergarten. Ask for the name of the product and the manufacturer. With this data, you can quickly check the nutritional tables of the product on the Internet and easily determine how much sugar, salt or fat they contain.

Remember that the limit values ​​are:

Sugar.

• cereal products up to 15g/100g of product;
• milk and dairy products 10g/100g of product;
• In general, products should contain no more than 10g of sugars/100g.

Salt.

In the nutritional tables you will find information about the salt content, and the regulation mentions soda. The conversion rate is simple: salt (g) = sodium (g) x 2.5, therefore 0.12 g of sodium = 0.3 g of salt.

The regulation clearly states that herbs and spices can be used without adding salt. This means disqualification for popular mixtures such as Vegeta, Kucharek, etc.

Fat.

Products should contain no more than 10g of fat per 100g of ready-to-eat product.

It does not matter at all whether the meals in your child's kindergarten are prepared in the kindergarten kitchen or delivered by a catering company. They are all subject to the requirements of the same Regulation and must provide information on the products used to prepare meals.

Step four – analysis.

You now have all the information to analyze your child's kindergarten menu. It's time to evaluate it as objectively as possible. It is possible that you will calm down at this stage. However, if at any point in the menu it deviates from the requirements contained in the Journal of Laws, you can act.

Step five – action.

You have carefully reviewed and summarized the entire menu, your reservations have been confirmed, and you have concrete arguments to act. It's time to pass these arguments to the opposing party - the kindergarten management - and wait for their response.

Remember – it's hard to argue with facts. Therefore, after your intervention, the menu will most likely change.

If not, you can always ask the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station for an assessment . For this purpose, kindergarten menus should be sent to the appropriate department and asked for an opinion. You can also request an inspection of the facility.