Background
It is well known that children in many Westernised countries do not eat a sufficient amounts of vegetables for optimal health and development [Targeting children’s exposure to vegetables is pivotal for increasing the likelihood that they will learn to eat these frequently rejected foods [With data suggesting that current child-feeding guidelines and interventions implemented across childcare settings have had limited success at increasing children’s vegetable intake to date [The rationale for offering children vegetables at breakfast time in nursery/kindergarten settings is based on the premise that 1) nursery/kindergarten-age children should have limited pre-conditioned negative associations between vegetables and breakfast time, 2) children typically attend nursery/kindergarten as part of the caring and development process, therefore targeting this setting has the potential for widespread adoption, 3) children frequently consume breakfast at nursery/kindergarten, as well as vegetables as snacks, and 4) offering vegetables at breakfast is already part of current government guidance for early-years settings in countries such as England ( [If offering vegetables to children at breakfast is acceptable, this should in turn increase children’s exposure to, and consumption of, vegetables at breakfast time, thereby facilitating the development of a positive association between vegetable consumption and breakfast from an early age. Importantly, it would also provide another opportunity in the day for children to consume vegetables – an important aim as greater exposure to vegetables at nursery is associated with greater vegetable intake over time [