Tesco is launching a £4 million initiative to provide fruit and vegetables to 400 schools.
- The program, developed with the British Nutrition Foundation, will benefit around 140,000 pupils.
- The initiative targets schools with higher rates of free school meals.
- Research highlights an increase in teachers providing food to students.
- Aimed at increasing children’s fruit and veg intake by 23%.
Tesco has announced an investment of £4 million in a new program aimed at supplying fruit and vegetables to 400 schools across the UK. This initiative, in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, seeks to provide fresh produce to about 140,000 students in educational institutions where there is a higher than average percentage of free school meals.
Research conducted by FareShare, a food waste charity, points out that nearly 28% of teachers in England have personally supplied food for students, a figure up from 26% earlier in 2023. The situation underscores the pressing need for such an initiative and highlights the growing challenges some educational institutions face in ensuring adequate nutrition for students.
The ‘Fruit & Veg for Schools’ program is designed to ensure that each participating student receives at least one piece of fruit or vegetable daily, totalling approximately 16 million pieces throughout the school year. This will roughly translate to 110 portions per child, with expectations of fostering healthier eating habits among young people.
The initiative is expected to significantly boost children’s intake of essential nutrients. It is anticipated to increase the overall fruit and vegetable consumption by 23% among participating children, leading to a rise in nutrient intake by approximately 7% for vitamin A, 25% for vitamin C, 14% for folate, and 10% for fiber.
Tesco’s chief executive, Ken Murphy, emphasizes the broader impact of the initiative, stating, “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.”
Tesco’s initiative marks a significant step in promoting nutritional well-being among school children in the UK.
