Fondation Olo expands food offerings to infants

The Fondation Olo helps to support families during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from early pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.

Families being supported by the foundation can now access coupons redeemable for baby cereals, purées, tofu and bread. This expansion aims to support healthy eating habits while better meeting children’s nutritional needs. 

“We wanted to continue offering foods in the postnatal period, but we weren’t sure which foods were most appropriate,” explained Marie-Ève Guérette St-Amour, a registered dietitian at the foundation.

She added: “The nutritional needs of newborns are very different from one of a two-year-old, so there’s a lot of transition there, and the biggest transition is when the kid is going to start eating solid foods that’s around six months of age.”

Fondation Olo’s first objective was to promote healthy eating by selecting foods from Canada’s food guide.

“We chose tofu, which is a plant-based protein. We want to have more plant-based protein in our diet and we chose whole grain bread because we wanted a food that is accessible, that is available in most regions,” Guérette St-Amour said.

Combating iron deficiency in infants was their second objective.

“We’re very happy to have vouchers that support families in purchasing iron-fortified infant cereals and also meat purees. So these two foods will help support the development of the child and make sure to have an iron-rich diet,” the dietitian told CityNews.

Food vouchers received from Fondation Olo can be presented at many grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies in Quebec. 

“The way to access is to go to the health ministry website called Ma Grossesse. If you state that you’re low-income or that you have difficulty paying for food, your CLSC is going to be able to give you access to the OLO intervention,” according to Guérette St-Amour.