Introduction There is a growing interest in actions that can contribute to increased food literacy and health among young people. As a result, the topic is increasingly becoming the subject of policymaking both in public health and in the educational system. Public engagement in these fields has led to a new focus on the importance of food for young people in institutions. However, approaches seem to follow slightly different paths. Food is mainly seen as a question of providing food or as both a question of providing and learning about food. This paper aims to explore the latter of these. Do kindergartens have the potential to move beyond simple provision and become active spaces for learning and literacy development? And, if so, what are the potentials and barriers for such approaches? Methodology A formative evaluation of the Dagmar foodscape intervention implemented in the Fuglsang kindergarten in the Danish city of Aalborg was performed. A case study approach based on observations, interviews, and focus groups was applied. The Dagmar intervention – an integrated food provision and learning programme – was developed and implemented. Qualitative data was collected to gain an insight into the potential and constraints for developing food literacy among children using such an approach. Pedagogues and kitchen staff were the informants in the data collection. The intervention was organized using an action research approach in which data was collected as an integral part of the intervention. Data was collected using observations and focus groups interviews. The intervention aimed to develop and evaluate new tools and instruments for the creation of food literacy among children with the participation of pedagogues and kitchen staff. Findings The intervention succeeded in creating a new type of foodscape in the kindergarten in a way that combines the preparation and the serving of food with both in-door and out-door hands-on food activities for children. A conceptual model of this foodscape consisting of a mealscape, a kitchenscape and a learningscape is suggested. Pedagogues and food workers were identified as important potential change agents in the kindergarten foodscape. Preferences and likings, knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as the language children used were identified as important aspects of the food reality in kindergarten. These were perceived as important cornerstones in the understanding of the kindergarten foodscape and its action possibilities. Knowledge, skills, and competencies in the two important professions of the kindergarten workforce were identified as important determinants that need to be addressed if the full potential in the action possibilities of kindergarten foodscapes is to be unleashed. Interdisciplinarity based on a mutual inter-professional recognition was identified as key to the development of the kindergarten foodscape. The study identified two important areas for action: the social practices around lunch and in-between meals as well as stand-alone pedagogical activities based on a hands-on approach and learning by doing. The study suggests that addressing the determinants are important if the kindergarten foodscape is to be used to create healthy eating and food literacy. Discussion The study provides new insight into the value of hands-on food activities for fostering food literacy in the kindergarten. In addition, the study functions as an exploration of the application of foodscape studies in understanding the complexity of food and eating in kindergarten. The study identifies important action possibilities in the kindergarten foodscape and suggests that the kindergarten could be an important arena for the promotion of healthier lifestyles and food literacy among kindergarten-aged children. The study suggests that there is a need for a new interdisciplinarity among the two key professions in the kindergarten and that the pedagogical curriculum in the pedagogues’ education could benefit from a rethinking focusing on food and eating and problem-based learning.