08/03/2026
What do your kids have for breakfast?
In the early 1930s, Norway faced a worrying problem. Many schoolchildren were undernourished after years of economic hardship and limited access to balanced food. Teachers and doctors noticed that poor diets were affecting children’s health, growth, and ability to focus in school. In 1932, Norwegian nutritionist Carl Schiøtz helped introduce a school meal program that became known as the “Oslo Breakfast.”
The meal was simple but carefully designed. Students were given milk, whole-grain bread or rye crispbread, cheese, fruit or vegetables, and a daily dose of cod-liver oil. The foods were chosen for their nutritional value, especially vitamins, calcium, and healthy fats that were often missing from children’s diets at the time. The program also emphasized fresh, natural foods rather than heavily processed ones, which was unusual for institutional meals during that period.
The results attracted international attention. Studies from the time reported improvements in children’s health, concentration, and physical development. Some reports even claimed that the average height of 14-year-olds increased by several inches after years of better nutrition. The Oslo Breakfast soon became a model for school meal programs in other countries and helped shape modern ideas about the importance of balanced nutrition in childhood.