Problem addressed

On average, a child eats three to four times as much as an adult, relative to their weight. They are therefore more vulnerable to pesticides, and a poor diet can have significant consequences for their development. It is therefore essential to provide them with a healthy, high-quality diet.

Innovative solution

Founded in 2009, Croc la vie has made this its mission and set out to develop a high-quality catering service, tailored to young children and full of flavour. For Croc la vie, getting a child used to a healthy, flavourful diet means educating both children and parents in good eating habits; it means investing in the future and preparing the child to become an adult who is mindful of food-related issues.

To this end, Croc la vie selects fresh, flavourful fruit and vegetables, as well as local and seasonal produce, but above all strives to offer a wide variety of dishes and flavours to develop children’s palates and curiosity.

Whilst Croc la vie initially chose organic farming to provide the best nutrition for children’s mental and physical development, the organisation also wished to make an environmental and economic commitment.

According to Croc la vie, organic farming is the only method of production that is mindful of natural resources and respectful of the environment and biodiversity. This form of agriculture is therefore the only one that can be considered sustainable in the long term, enabling future generations to enjoy a rich and high-quality diet.

The organisation therefore quickly established partnerships with local organic producers who are mindful of their production methods and the quality of their products. For example, the partner bakery sources its organic flour from a grain collector who uses granite millstones to produce exceptional wholemeal flours.

More broadly, respect for the environment is integrated throughout the entire supply chain at Croc la vie and is the subject of constant consideration. Significant measures are already in place: prioritising local and seasonal produce, selecting producers who recover and reuse their packaging, minimising and sorting waste, and reducing transport routes to farms and nurseries.

Key results and benefits

6,0 meals distributed every day

375 nurseries

Potential for mainstreaming

In 2017, the organisation embarked on a process of replication by getting involved in three projects developing similar models in three major French cities. These exchanges quickly opened up new horizons, and Croc la vie is now planning to set up a national network, in the form of a co-operative, to bring these initiatives together and foster the emergence of new ones across the country.

Croc La Vie is a laureate of the 2017–2018 cohort of the P'INS scale-up support programme, jointly run by Fondation Macif and Avise.