Summary
With the aim of developing a food education and supplementation project for pre-school children, a survey was undertaken during the school holiday of a poor periurban Manaus pre-school. The food intake during the previous twenty four hours of 153 pre-school children was estimated by interviewing the mothers. The food pattern proved to be limited with a high frequency of consumption of fish bread, biscuits, butter, rice and cassava flour and a low frequency of consumption os pulses, vegetable and fruits. In analyzing the mean nutrient adequacy of zinc, vitamin A and iron, only zinc intake proved to be less than the recommended level. Income showed little significant effect on nutrient intakes. The importance of these findings is discussed and recomendations for a food education and supplementation project made.