– Is it a real carrot, asks Iben (3). In the kitchen at Smååsane kindergarten in Vennesla, Katrine Bøhn has prepared the ingredients for today’s dish. – Today we are going to make vegetable lasagne, she says. Previously, Bøhn worked as a chef in a restaurant, but now it is the children in the kindergarten who enjoy her knowledge. – I have to make more child-friendly food, but at the same time bring in vegetables and fish, among other things, says chef Bøhn, while she cuts all the vegetables with a stick blender so that the lasagna does not have large pieces that the children don’t like. In Vennesla, since 2005, they have prioritized hiring cooks in the kindergartens. Now all the municipal kindergartens in the municipality have their own chef. Katrine Bøhn has replaced the restaurant kitchen with a nursery kitchen. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Improving public health Mayor Nils Olav Larsen (KrF) has few problems defending the measure, which costs the municipalities approximately one and a half million kroner annually. – It is a voluntary matter, because it is not required by law. But it is so important that I can recommend this for other municipalities. For our experience, we would like to share it, says Larsen. Director of public health in Agder county municipality, Vegard Nilsen, calls Vennesla municipality forward-leaning. He boasts of his willingness to bet on the smallest. – We have enormous potential to improve public health by optimizing food. So starting in that phase of life where we’re really learning everything, it can’t get any better. This will leave a mark, says Nilsen. Still room for improvement A study from 2021 shows that there is still room for improvement when it comes to serving fish, vegetables and coarse grain products in kindergartens. Nevertheless, Acting Department Director in the Directorate of Health Arild Johan Myrberg believes that many kindergartens do a good job. – A survey from 2017 shows that the daily supply of vegetables had improved compared to 2011, he says. Myrberg is positive that the children are involved in the cooking. According to him, it can make it easier to explore new flavours, learn about the properties of different foods and develop an understanding of this. – It is good if the nursery can contribute to variety in the children’s diet and to offer meals that help to increase the intake of foods that we know that children generally have too low an intake of. Will take the children along for the whole process It’s time for food service in Smååsane kindergarten. The lasagna is rolled out in the various departments. Three-year-olds Iben, Cecilie and Filip gobble up each portion. Director Petter Ruenes Jensen is not surprised that the children eat up. And that they like the food they get. – When the children are involved in the process and see what is inside the food, they also develop a relationship with it, says Ruenes Jensen. He is very happy to have the chef as one of his employees. – The most important thing for us is the diet, that the children get nutritious food and that there is less strain on the staff who get more time with the children, says Ruenes Jensen. Board member Petter Ruenes Jensen believes there are several benefits to employing your own chef for the little ones. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news While Iben licks plate number two clean, there are some leftovers with the other two. They are emptied into the bokashi bucket. The nursery makes compost soil that is used in the kitchen garden they have in the outdoor area. – The idea behind everything is that we want children to be involved in the whole process. Many may think that eggs and milk come from the shop. Yes, that’s where we buy it, but we want to give them the experience that food comes from the soil. That they are involved and get a relationship with all the links in that process, says Ruenes Jensen. The nursery wants the children to develop a relationship with all the stages in the process of cooking. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Children eat 3,000 meals in kindergarten The National Knowledge Center for Kindergartens indicates that children who attend kindergarten from the age of one manage to eat 3,000 meals in kindergarten before school starts. There are more meals than they eat at home. The Knowledge Center emphasizes that everyone who works in a nursery should have knowledge of what a varied and good diet is, and why this is important. They have set up this list of questions for reflection: Do we offer vegetables every day at every meal during the day? Are the vegetables varied, or is it mostly carrot, pepper and cucumber? Are there more short-distance options? What roughness scale does the bread and crispbreads we serve have? Are the toppings varied throughout the day and week, or do we offer the same thing every day? Do we cook from scratch where possible? Do we offer meals with fish? What is a thirst drink in our kindergarten?
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– This will leave a mark – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
