Children have a right to meals of good nutritional quality at state-subsided crèches!

Abstract

The publication by Pietersen et al.1 in this edition of the journal (p. 15) has highlighted the problems associated with feeding of children at state-subsidised crèches in Cape Town. Since the sample only included crèches in two areas of Cape Town (Ocean View and Mitchells Plain), it is important to keep in mind that these findings cannot be regarded as being representative of state-subsidised crèches. Furthermore, the authors do not indicate whether the sampled crèches are registered or not, registered crèches being subject to strict requirements. There are currently 240 unregistered crèches in the Cape Metropole and 640 registered crèches in the Western Cape (Van Niekerk — personal communication, 2002).