”En undersøgelse af mad- og måltidskulturen i daginstitutioner med forskellige madordninger”.

The purpose of this report is to describe food and meal cultures at daycare facilities with different food schemes by creating an understanding of the course of lunchtime meals. The study concentrates on main topics such as atmosphere, togetherness and sensual aspects around the lunchtime meal, child carers’ self-perceived roles in connection with the eating situation of the lunchtime meal, as well as learning about children’s food manners.

The study indicates that the most favourable conditions for food and mealtime cultures in practice at daycare centres seem to arise with internally produced food schemes. These daycare centres are able to integrate food and mealtime cultural elements such as mealtime education before, during and after the lunchtime meal, which creates a positive atmosphere and social intercourse around the meal. At daycare centres which have kept the packed lunch scheme, the food and mealtime culture has good conditions when the child carers give high priority to the food and mealtime culture. However, these daycare centres do not have the same basis for creating food and mealtime cultures as daycare centres with internally produced food schemes, because the packed lunch does not create the same sense of community around the meal as when children are given the same food for lunch. For daycare centres with externally produced food schemes, the food and mealtime culture does not have the same conditions, as the child carers have to use resources on practical tasks in connection with the lunch-time meal. This takes focus away from the food and mealtime culture, which is given low priority compared to daycare centres with internally produced food.

The study was carried out as a comparative case study at nine daycare centres, which have been selected such that three food schemes (food produced internally, food delivered and packed lunches) and three geographical areas (the Greater Copenhagen area, Zealand and Jutland) can be combined in nine different ways. Focus group interviews with child carers and observation studies of the lunchtime meal at the nine daycare centres have been used to collect data about food and mealtime cultures at the daycare centres. Initially, the material was analysed for the individual daycare centres and later across the nine daycare centres.

Iversen, J.D. & Sabinsky, M. (2011). ”En undersøgelse af mad- og måltidskulturen i daginstitutioner med forskellige madordninger”. Søborg: Fødevareinstituttet, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet.