The OLO program is part of integrated perinatal and early childhood services ( SIPPE) intended for vulnerable families. The goal of the program is to improve the nutrition, health and well-being of low-income pregnant women and contribute to the birth of healthy babies.
The OLO program is available through local community service centres, and provides admissible women with essential foods (eggs, milk and orange juice, also called OLO nutritional supplements) and vitamin and mineral supplements free of charge during their pregnancy.
The Fondation OLO provides the OLO nutritional supplements during the final 28 weeks of pregnancy. The vitamin and mineral supplements are generally provided as soon as the future mother participates in the program and continue until the end of the pregnancy.
The OLO program is the result of close collaboration between the Fondation OLO and the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, as well as the financial support of the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program in a number of cases.
A number of local community service centres also offer nutritional, nursing and psychosocial follow-up throughout the pregnancy.
Selected foods: eggs, milk and orange juice
These three foods were selected for the following reasons:
- availability;
- nutritional quality;
- use;
- versatility.
Eggs are:
- an excellent source of complete protein (used at 100%);
- the most affordable source of protein;
- a versatile product.
Milk is:
- a very good source of energy and protein;
- an excellent source of calcium;
- the only milk product enriched with vitamin D (vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption);
- a concentrated source of nutrients that are not easily replaced by a single other food (among others, it is a source of vitamin B2, zinc and omega-3);
- the easiest way to satisfy calcium and vitamin D requirements.
Orange juice was selected because it:
- is an excellent source of vitamin C;
- satisfies daily vitamin C requirements for a pregnant woman (non-smoker);
- promotes the absorption of nonheme iron;
- is the easiest way to satisfy vitamin C requirements.
Vitamin and mineral supplements
To help meet the high nutritional needs of pregnancy, vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant women (such as the prenatal multivitamin Materna) are distributed to all women who participate in the OLO program.
Pregnant women in Québec with low income.
Eligible pregnant women receive daily: 1 egg, 1 litre of milk and 150 ml of orange juice, plus a vitamin and mineral supplement in tablet form.
The food and supplements are provided without charge to participants in the OLO program.
