Dietary survey of infants and young children 2006-2007

In 2006-2007 the National Food Institute conducted the first survey of what Danish infants and young children eat and drink. It was the first national dietary survey among this age group.

Data was collected through a combination of a personal interview with one of the parents and a seven day log of the child’s dietary intake, which the parents fill out. A total of 1,743 children aged six months to three years, who were selected through random sampling, participated in the survey.

The survey showed that the diet among six to 12-month-old infants lives up to the Nordic recommendations for fat, carbohydrate and protein. For the one to two-year-olds the survey shows that especially the two-year-olds’ diet is too high in fat and that saturated fat makes up too large a share compared to the unsaturated fat.

Approximately a third of children aged one and two years of age eat too much sugar compared with the recommendation. As such young children’s diet mirrors that of the older children and adults. The survey also suggests that infants’ and young children’s diet meets the recommendation for the majority of vitamins and minerals, and that the recommended supplement of iron and vitamin D at that time was justified.

The survey also suggests among other things that many one and two-year-olds would benefit from eating more greens and fish and less saturated fat, and in the case of the two-year-olds also fewer sugary products. This would also improve dietary intake of some of the vitamins which are consumed in the smallest amounts.