Currently, there are limited data available on the dietary habits of pre-school children in Ireland. The National Pre-school Nutrition Survey (NPNS) was therefore carried out to establish a database of habitual food and beverage consumption in a representative sample of pre-school children in the Republic of Ireland. A 4-day weighed food diary was used to collect dietary intake data from 500 pre-school children aged 1–4 years. Analysis of dietary intake data was carried out using WISP©, which is based on McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods 6 th edition ( 1 ) and the Irish food composition database( Reference Black, Ireland and Møller 2 ). DF intake and sources of DF in the diets of pre-school children are reported.
Seventy two percent of pre-school children (68% males, 76% females) met the EFSA DF recommendation( 3 ) for children of this age group. The foods which contributed greatest to DF intakes were fruit, breads, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and vegetables.
The project was funded by the Irish Government under the Food for Health Research Initiative 2007–2012
