The Irish have borrowed a Welsh initiative to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables, both in school and at home.
The Food Dudes programme, initially developed at the University of Wales in Bangor, has been launched in 150 primary schools across Ireland, aimed at promoting healthy-eating habits among more than 30,000 pupils. Bord Bia is co-ordinating the three-year programme, which will cost €1.2m.
Half the cost is being met by the EU Commission, with the Department of Agriculture & Food providing another 20 per cent.
Fresh Produce Ireland, representing growers, retailers and wholesalers, is footing the remaining 30 per cent as well as supplying and delivering the fruit and vegetables to the schools.
Two of Ireland’s high-profile women ministers, Mary Coughlan (agriculture) and Mary Hanafin (education), presided at the programme launch last week in a Dublin inner-city school.
Minister Coughlan described as “very worrying” the low average intake of fruit and vegetables by Irish children, warning that poor diet has the potential to contribute to obesity problems later in life.
In the first phase of the programme, children learn about Food Dudes - super heroes who do battle with a gang of baddies trying to destroy the world’s energy by depriving it of fruit and vegetables.
Each day, as they watch video adventures of the Food Dudes, the children are rewarded with small prizes for eating fruit and vegetables and are asked to keep a diary of the amounts they have been eating at home.
