Supermarket’s Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme is expanding
Making food fun encourages children to try more(Image: supplied image)
To help Hull children get more of their five-a-day and the nutritious food they need to learn, Tesco has announced it is doubling its Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme from September – with the aim of doubling the programme again the following year. The scheme already provides access to free fruit and veg across 500 schools in the UK, and hopes to take this to more than 1,000 from the start of the new school year.
New research shows most children fall short of their five-a-day, with only one in 11 children in the Yorkshire and Humber region currently eating their recommended five-a-day on a typical school day. Tesco’s ambition is to help one million children access free fruit and vegetables through its school and community programmes by July 2029.
To encourage children to be more adventurous with fruit and veg, Tesco is also launching the Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge. More than a third (38 per cent) of parents say their child refuses fruit and veg altogether, according to the Tesco figures.
The findings show, however, that what does work when it comes to getting five portions of fruit and veg a day into kids is encouraging them to choose it themselves. Making food fun or visually creative also encourages children to try more.
Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: “We’ve set out an ambition to help one million children get free fruit and veg through our school and community programmes, supporting the development of healthy habits. Schools have told us what a positive impact the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme has already made, so we’re delighted to be able to double the number of schools receiving support from September.”
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: “A significant number of children in the UK are growing up with diets that don’t support their health. Early food experiences matter, as they can help to shape children’s confidence, habits and long‑term health outcomes.
“By helping children enjoy and regularly eat fruit and vegetables from a young age, programmes like Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools can help to make a lasting difference to diet and health now and in the future.” About seven in ten (69 per cent) of Yorkshire and the Humber parents say they have stopped buying or serving certain fruit or vegetables after their child repeatedly refused them.
By contrast, pupils taking part in Free Fruit & Veg for Schools have collectively sampled more than 100 different varieties of fruit and vegetables, helping to broaden tastes and encourage healthier choices. Tesco’s Giant Fruit & Veg Challenge invites children to dream up their own fruit and veg-packed dish, with the winning recipe shared on menus across the UK and in Tesco’s programme.
Along with its Fruit & Veg Grants and Free Fruit for Kids in its stores, Tesco aims to support thousands more local children in getting more of the good stuff. Customers will be able to help grow the programme with Tesco donating every time customers buy fruit and veg at Tesco, up until May 24.
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