Kids Cuisine

Last week at the grocery store I was perusing the yogurt selections for my kids when a new product caught my eye.  They were attractively packaged, and looked like very small yogurt cups.  The label called it a “dairy snack” and assured me that  there were no artificial colors, flavors or high fructose corn syrup.  I promptly picked up both variety packages of Danonino and set them in my cart.

Upon my arrival at home, the kids were intrigued.  The brightly colored cups definitely caught their attention, and they quickly debated which flavor they thought would be best.  They each chose one — Abigail choosing strawberry, Zander choosing vanilla, and they eagerly peeled off the tops.  They love yogurt, and were excited to try this new one.  They each took one bite, and then told me it tasted like ice cream, and they dashed off to eat them in the other room.  I was pleased with my purchase, but then a minute later, Zander came back and handed me the cup, telling me he thought it actually tasted a little strange. I promptly tasted, and while it did remind of me ice cream, it really was more reminiscent of cream cheese.  Abigail brought her cup back a minute later telling me that she thought it tasted like the stuff we put on bagels.  All told, none of our Danonino’s were eaten.  We sampled all the flavors, but really found it to taste a lot like flavored cream cheese, and that just isn’t something we want to be eating with a spoon.

I went back to the packages, and found no other clues as to what this stuff actually was, so I went online and found a website devoted to Danonino.  While it still doesn’t tell me exactly what it is, it is a calcium fortified dairy snack designed to give your children a nutritious boost.  In fact, these tiny 1.76 ounce cups are packed with calcium, protein, and vitamin D, yet there are no active cultures present as in a cup of yogurt.  Reading through the website, I found that indeed, Danonino are not yogurt cups, but a nutrient-dense dairy snack product designed for 2- to 4-year-olds to help meet the daily calcium needs, which many children fall short of.
In the end, I have to say that I think this is a great idea for parents and children who are struggling to meet their daily calcium needs through other ways.  I think many kids would enjoy the bright flavors, and I could very easily see this being used as a dip with some graham crackers for a more hearty snack-time.  I just won’t be adding them to my shopping cart anytime soon for my children.