Tesco to provide £4m worth of fruit & veg to 400 schools
The funding will be used to support pupils in 400 schools where there is a higher-than-average free school meal ratio. In total the scheme will provide around 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables. Over a school year, that’s the equivalent of 110 portions per child on average.
In a recent survey by brand and social impact agency We Are Futures, 71% of teachers said that they would prioritise the choice of fruit and veg for all pupils if it was fully funded. Research by FareShare on 10,000 teachers found 28% of them in England brought food for pupils last term, which is up from 26% in the summer.
Ken Murphy, Tesco Group chief executive, said: “Our aim is to enable 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.
“We know we can’t change habits overnight, but we can ensure that young people in some of the most challenged communities in the UK get access to more fruit and veg. We want to help them try something new, learn about food and how to prepare and cook it.”
Only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation. For children taking part in the scheme, Tesco expects to see their overall fruit and veg intake to increase by 23%, based on the average five-a-day intakes in school-aged children.
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the BNF, added: “We welcome this significant investment from Tesco to help improve the diets of our young people. By targeting funding to pupils in areas in need of a little extra help, this is a meaningful and impactful intervention.
“Beyond the funding, we’re excited to strengthen the support with educational resources that will help teachers inspire pupils and foster an ambition to develop healthy habits for these pupils to take through life.”
The 400 schools taking part in the scheme will be able to shop for the fruit and veg the school needs in stores local to their school.