The Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools initiative is a project that will see 140,000 primary and secondary children at 400 schools eat at least one piece of fresh fruit or veg every day
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Fruit and veg for schools from Tesco
Tens of thousands of hungry children will get the chance to feast on healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables thanks to a cash boost from Tesco.
Britain’s biggest supermarket retailer is pumping £4million into a scheme to give youngsters in some of the UK’s most deprived areas access to delicious produce, aiming to make sure they get their five-a-day fill.
The Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools initiative is a first-of-its-kind project that will mean up to 140,000 primary and secondary kids at 400 schools eat at least one piece of fresh fruit or
veg every day. And, as parents know, every little helps in ensuring inquisitive minds are fuelled with the right foods. Ken Murphy, Tesco Group chief executive, said: “Our aim is to enable participating schools to provide enough fruit and veg for every child to have at least one piece every day.
“Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools will make a real difference by providing something that young people look forward to receiving every day, and we hope it will be another little nudge to get them eating healthy food.
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Birmingham-born Poppy, who has appeared on This Morning, Saturday Kitchen Live and as a judge on Young MasterChef, said: “I’m really excited about Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools because I remember how much I loved cooking as a kid, and including fruit and veg in a simple way makes it not only fun, but good for you too.
“For me, it’s all about giving our kids the best start possible.” The scheme has been developed alongside experts at the British Nutrition Foundation. And judging by the smiles on faces of kids at Mandeville Primary School in Hackney, East London, the first to taste test nature’s bounty, it is set to be a resounding success. Ably assisted by Poppy, they tucked in to platefuls of fresh produce – and each gave a resounding thumbs-up, collectively saying: “Thank you berry much.”
Headteacher Marc Thompson, 49, said: “When people are hungry they don’t perform as well because they are not getting the right kind of nutrition. We have made it our mission that every child, regardless of their background, will have access to good-quality fresh food.”
Evidence shows significant health benefits to getting at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day.
A recommended portion is 80g, with the World Health Organisation suggesting we should all eat a minimum of 400g a day in total, to lower the risk of serious health issues.
Yet data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey for food consumption, nutrient intakes and nutritional status, which tracks intake as part of a rolling programme of health surveillance, suggests only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 – a little over one in 10 – meet the recommendation.
Fruit and veg are a relatively cheap and tasty source of essential nutrients for children’s health, including vitamins A and C, folate and fibre. But many children turn their noses up at a plateful of greens.
This new initiative aims to prove fresh fruit and veg is easy to use, tastes delicious, and can be a physical and mental superpower. Data shows 11% of four to 10-year-olds and 18% of 11 to 18-year-olds have low intakes of vitamin A, crucial for our immune systems, vision and healthy skin.
And only 14% of four to 10-year-olds, and 4% of 11 to 18-year-olds, are meeting the recommended fibre intake, key to keeping the gut healthy and cutting the risk of disease in later life.
Schools taking part in the pioneering scheme will be able to regularly shop for produce in Tesco stores local to them, using prepaid cards.
The initiative has been launched to support pupils in areas where there is a higher-than-average free school meal ratio.
It will provide access to around 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables – a figure equal to 110 portions per child over the course of a
school year. Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: “We welcome this significant investment from Tesco to improve the diet of our young people.
“By targeting this funding to pupils in areas in need of a little extra help, we hope to make a meaningful intervention for these young people. Beyond the funding we’re excited to strengthen the support with educational resources and an ambition to help develop and instil healthy habits for these pupils to take through life.”
Tesco’s Fruit and Veg for Schools is part
of a wider community programme called Stronger Starts, an initiative that kicked off in June last year to give groups and organisations across the UK the chance to apply for funding.
It has already provided more than £9million to support thousands of community groups and schools, with the aim of providing a healthier start to kids’ lives. The strategy is led by Claire de Silva, Tesco Head of Community, who said: “By focusing on supporting schools and children’s groups to provide the grant funding they need, we can make a significant difference to the lives of thousands of young people, giving them a Stronger Start in so many ways.”
Tesco expects to see pupils’ overall fruit and veg consumption increase by 23%, based on average five-a-day intakes in school- aged children.The focus on areas with higher free school meal participation is important, as data shows diets among lower-income families often lack essential healthy components.
Across the school year, the BNF estimates this would increase intakes by 7% for vitamin A, 25% for vitamin C, 14% for folate and 10% for fibre.
This article has been published in partnership with Tesco fruit and veg for schools