"The health development of children in daycare facilities and childminders must also be promoted through age-appropriate preventative measures and a balanced and healthy diet." Healthy meals have been included in Section 12 (2) of the Child Education Act, which has been in force since 01.08.2020.

Food and drink in daycare
The daily provision of food and drink in daycare centers presents challenges, but also opportunities to offer all children - regardless of their circumstances - balanced meals and to instill healthy eating habits and nutritional knowledge. In addition to nutritional skills, social and societal skills associated with shared meals and different eating cultures can be taught to all children through play.Nutritional competence - a contribution to social participation
With the key objective of enabling all children to participate in society from the very beginning, the topics of "eating and drinking" and "nutrition education" can be firmly anchored in child daycare. The "Educational principles for children aged 0 to 10 in daycare centers and primary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia" (PDF) also provides a wide range of starting points and fields of action. Depending on the age and development of a child, educational programs on the fields of action "healthy eating" and "nutrition education" can be implemented appropriately in child daycare.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center offers advice and support for daycare facilities and childminders in North Rhine-Westphalia on all questions relating to healthy eating/nutrition education and the inclusion of this topic in the educational concept. With the networking center for daycare and school catering, it is aimed at interested multipliers, e.g.

- Daycare center managers
- Daycare center staff
- Housekeeping staff
- Childcare professionals and
- Teachers and providers

The networking center supports those responsible locally in creating an environment in which children are introduced to healthy eating at an early age. The aim is to positively influence nutritional behavior into adulthood.

Counseling hotline
The networking center is available Tuesdays to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with an advice hotline for all questions relating to daycare and school catering.
The telephone number is: 0211 3809-714.
In addition, contact can be made at any time by e-mail: kitaverpflegung [at] verbraucherzentrale.nrw (kitaverpflegung[at]verbraucherzentrale[dot]nrw).

Information portal of the NRW daycare and school catering network
The information portal of the Netzungsstelle Kita- und Schulverpflegung NRW supports daycare centers, childminders, schools and providers throughout the state in implementing a healthy and sustainable catering offer. The aim is to make a sustainable contribution to improving nursery and school catering in NRW.

Learning to eat in daycare
Never vegetables or always pasta? Eat a lot or refuse to eat? Unusual eating behavior in children demands a lot from educational staff in daycare. But what is normal and how can difficult eating situations be mastered? On the page Learning to eat in daycare you will find lots of information on the topics of "How children learn to eat", "How children under the age of three eat", "Mastering difficult eating situations" and much more.

Questions and answers about allergen labeling in nurseries and schools
Allergen labeling is also mandatory for daycare centres and schools. Since December 2014, daycare centers and schools have had to provide information on which allergens are contained in their food. The Networking Center for Daycare and School Catering NRW provides support with answers to the most important questions on the subject. Further information can be found on the information page on allergen labeling from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Centre.

DGE quality standard for catering in daycare
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) (on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) first published a nationwide quality standard for catering in daycare centers in 2009. This was completely revised and republished in November 2020.

The DGE quality standard for catering in daycare centers offers scientific and practical recommendations for the design of health-promoting and sustainable daycare center catering. At the heart of the quality standard are criteria for the design of catering for breakfast, snacks and lunch. What and how much should be on the table? The DGE positions itself in favor of a plant-based diet. Catering managers also receive details on meal planning and production as well as quality development.