A Study on the Nutritional Evaluation and Food Service Managements of Snacks in Early Childhood Education Institute

유아교육기관의 간식 공급 현황 및 영양평가

The purpose of this study was to investigate foodservice management of snacks as will as to evaluate nutrient intakes of young children from the snacks serried in early childhood educational institute. Two hundred and twenty-three snack items from 14 kindergartens and daycare centers were measured sewing size and analyzed for the nutritional values in addition to the general evaluation of the snack service management practice by the trained personnel. The results were as follow: The contents of most nutrients supplied from the snacks amounted to 10-15% of RDA (recommended dietary allowances for Koreans) except iron and niacin. And there were not any significant differences in the contents of energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate between the morning and afternoon snacks. The energy and protein contents (as the % of RDA) of snacks sewed to children of 1-3 years old were turned out to be significantly higher than that sewed to the children of 4-6 years old since the portion amount of snacks per child was about the same regardless of the age and individual variation. There were significant differences in the contents of nutrient serried from the snacks among 14 kindergartens. Therefore, nutritional guidence including the standard portion amount for the kindergarten snacks considering the age, activities and individual variation should be developed for kindergarten teachers so that they can effectively manage snack service and provide good nutrition for young children.