Abstract

ARIAS, Daniela; GONZALEZ, Rocío; FLORES, Ofelia  and  AVENDANO, Ana. Improvement in the quality of food served in a non-governmental organization-national childcare network, San José, Costa Rica, 2016. Rev. chil. nutr. [online]. 2019, vol.46, n.2, pp.144-153. ISSN 0717-7518.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/s0717-75182019000200144.

Good nutrition during childhood is essential for optimal growth. For this reason, an intervention proposal was developed to improve the quality of food served to children ages 2 to 12 years at the Teen Challenge Child Care Center, which belongs to the National Child Care Network of Costa Rica. The study was developed in five stages: diagnosis, problem prioritization, intervention program design, implementation and evaluation during 2016. The data was analyzed according to national and international food quality guidelines such as: food safety, bromatological and sensorial properties. The main aspects that were improved were hygiene, food safety and bromatological food quality. A proposal of 10 educational sessions was designed, to be provided to the personnel of the center including teachers and kitchen staff, with 14 standards of quality and the goal was to comply with at least 11 of them. The quality of food served was improved; however, the target was not met. Studies of this type are of high importance for the health and well-being of young people. The low presence of nutrition professionals, lack of training and no supervision, negatively influence the quality of food offered in these spaces.

Keywords : Child care centers; Child nutrition; Education; Food quality; Food safety; Nutritive value; Public health.

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