Foods from Spain has announced its plan of action for 2008 and has revealed it will again run its national healthy eating competition for children in English primary schools, as well as a new logo for the fresh produce campaign.
The organisation will concentrate on the promotion of fresh Spanish fruit and vegetables through activities such as the school competition and the Spanish Young Chef of the Year competition, which will launch this year.
The Foods from Spain campaign mainly promotes Picota cherries, plums, strawberries, raspberries, cherimoya and persimmon, but the generic part of the campaign promotes all Spanish fruit and vegetables exported to the UK.
The success of the national healthy eating competition last year encouraged Foods from Spain to not only run it again, but invite more schools across the UK to participate. The competition, which invites children from eight to 11 years old to produce a collage that represents healthy eating with Spanish fruit and vegetables, attracted more than 450 entries last year, but this year Foods from Spain has sent out 16,500 letters inviting schools to enter.
Santiago Mendioroz of the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) said: “The competition is the jewel in the crown of what Foods from Spain do. We are helping so many children across the UK learn about Spanish food, and we are also helping the government’s 5 A DAY initiative.”
The winning school will receive a cheque for £3,000, and there are also prizes of £1,000 and £500 for schools that achieve second and third place. Last year’s winner Kingston Primary School in Essex has put the money to good use by buying an interactive whiteboard and books to improve the school’s Spanish department.
