Tesco has announced a £4m scheme to give thousands of young people fruit & vegetables every day at schools.
Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools, in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, will provide funding for up to 140,000 pupils to receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day.
The supermarket said its funding would support pupils in 400 schools where there was a higher-than-average free school meal ratio, and in total provide around 16 million pieces of fruit & veg – the equivalent of 110 portions per child on average over a school year.
The move is the latest on free fruit by Tesco, which began giving kids free produce in stores in 2016. It handed out more than 100 million pieces in the scheme’s first three years alone.
Tesco pointed to a recent survey by brand and social impact agency We Are Futures, in which 71% of teachers said they would prioritise the choice of fruit & veg for all pupils if it was fully funded.
Meanwhile, research by FareShare, among 10,000 teachers, found that 28% of teachers across England have brought in food for pupils in the past term, up from 26% in summer term 2023.
Tesco’s move comes with only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 meeting the 5 a day recommendation. Tesco said it expected to see their overall fruit & veg intake increase by 23%, based on the average 5 a day intakes in school-aged children.
“Our aim is to enable schools to provide enough fruit & veg for every child to have at least one piece every day,” said Tesco CEO Ken Murphy.
”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 & veg. We want to help them try something new, learn about food and how to prepare and cook it.”
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, 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.”
Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, added: “With only one in five children eating the recommended portions of fruit & veg a day, it’s fantastic to see Tesco’s commitment to helping children access healthier foods.”
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