Your child spends a large part of the day at the daycare center (kinderdagverblijf/KDV) or after-school care (BSO), which means they also eat there. The updated Wheel of Five — the Dutch nutritional guidelines — has significantly revised its advice on healthy eating, but not every childcare provider automatically adjusts their menu accordingly. This article explains what has changed and which questions you can ask at your next tour or parent meeting.
What's new about the Wheel of Five?
In 2026, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum) updated the Wheel of Five based on new scientific insights. The most notable changes: legumes and unsalted nuts now have a more prominent role as a protein source, and there is considerably more emphasis on plant-based foods over meat. Advice on fats has also become more nuanced: unprocessed fats from sources such as nuts and fish are now more explicitly recommended than before.
For children aged 0 to 12, the Nutrition Centre has additional guidelines: less salt, no sugary drinks, and sufficient iron and calcium for healthy growth. These are precisely the areas that childcare providers deal with on a daily basis.
Do childcare providers automatically follow the new nutritional guidelines?
The short answer: not necessarily. The Wheel of Five is dietary advice, not a legal requirement. Larger organizations with their own nutrition coordinator or dietitian tend to update their menus more quickly than smaller locations that handle their own shopping and cooking. This applies equally to after-school care (BSO): snacks and evening meals on longer care days also fall under the location's food policy.
It's worth asking about this proactively — not as a form of scrutiny, but because it tells you how a location approaches quality in general. A childcare provider that regularly reviews its food policy likely does the same in other areas too.
Required or not: what does the law say about food in childcare?
The law does not set detailed requirements for the content of meals in childcare settings. What is required: childcare providers must have a pedagogical policy plan, and food can be included in that plan. The Municipal Health Service (GGD) inspects whether a location operates according to its own policy, but does not assess whether that policy aligns with the latest nutritional guidelines. This means a location can formally meet all requirements while still following an outdated food policy. The responsibility to check this therefore lies with you as a parent.
Healthy eating at after-school care and daycare centers: what should you look for?
At a daycare center (kinderdagverblijf/KDV), children typically have a hot or cold lunch, several snacks throughout the day, and sometimes breakfast as well. At after-school care (BSO), it's more often a snack after school and sometimes a hot meal on longer care days. The scale and timing of meals differ, but the questions you can ask are largely the same.
During a tour, pay attention to what's in the kitchen, how meals are presented to children, and whether there's room for children who don't like something. That last point says something about the pedagogical approach to mealtimes: is there pressure to eat, or is there space for children to go at their own pace and follow their own preferences?
Snacks, hot meals and drinks: it's all in the details
Snacks are a common area of concern. Biscuits, crackers with sweet toppings, or fruit juice may seem harmless, but if a child attends childcare five days a week, it all adds up. The updated Wheel of Five recommends fruit, vegetables, or a small piece of cheese as a snack, and water or milk as a drink. During your tour, ask specifically: what do the children get as a snack, and how many times a day? And what do they drink with meals and in between?
For hot meals, the balance of vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates matters. Ask whether the childcare provider works with a set weekly menu and whether that menu is available somewhere — for example, through the parent app. This also gives you the opportunity to complement at home what your child has already eaten during the day.
Questions to ask during a tour or parent meeting
Having specific questions ready makes the conversation easier for both sides. You don't need to be a nutrition expert to handle this well. Here are a few questions that will give you direct answers to what you want to know:
- What does a typical day look like in terms of food and drink? Ask about breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks on a regular day.
- Is the food policy documented in writing? And when was it last updated?
- How do you handle children who don't want to eat something? This tells you something about the pedagogical approach as well as the atmosphere at mealtimes.
- Is food prepared on-site, or does it come from elsewhere? And who puts the menu together?
- How are allergies or dietary requirements handled? Relevant not only if your child has an allergy, but also as an indication of how flexible and attentive the childcare provider is.
For after-school care (BSO), you can also ask whether meals differ on school holidays compared to regular afternoon care days, and whether children have any input into what's on the menu. The latter is also a great way to gauge whether the location takes children's opinions seriously.
Getting started
Food is one of those things you only really notice when you consciously pay attention to it. Take a few of the questions above with you to your next tour or parent meeting. Want to compare childcare locations on more than just food? At Kiddie.nl, you'll find daycare centers (kinderdagverblijven) and after-school care (BSO) locations near you, along with practical information to help you make the right choice.
