To start the new year, the Journal’s monthly look at the 5 A DAY campaign features one of its five integral strands - the National School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) is an important part of the Department of Health's 5 A DAY programme, and forms
part of its commitment in the Choosing Health White Paper to influence positive health behaviour in childhood.
With every 4-6 year old in LEA-maintained primary, infant and special schools eligible for a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day, the scheme is now benefiting almost two million children in thousands of schools across England.
Initially the scheme supplied apples, pears, bananas and easy-peel citrus fruit. Carrots, cherry tomatoes and strawberries have since been added to provide variety for the children.
Children are offered just one type of fruit or vegetable per day. This helps ensure that the children are introduced to a range of different fruits and vegetables rather than picking the same one each day. As the scheme develops, the range of fruits and vegetables supplied will expand.
Initial feedback of the SFVS was extremely positive and following a full evaluation during the spring, it will be considered whether to expand the scheme to LEA maintained nurseries. To support the scheme, a pack of materials for schools was recently launched - including finger puppets, story books, songs and a CD - offering advice to teachers on how to make fruit and vegetables fun for kids and encourage healthy diets. The aim is to help teachers see the SFVS as part of the wider curriculum, and to help integrate healthy eating into the whole school day. A booklet, included in the pack, gives teachers guidance on how to set up fruit tuck shops, cooking clubs and health focus weeks at school.
The SFVS provides many opportunities for local growers - every school day the scheme is purchasing 200 tonnes of fresh produce from growers and suppliers.
The supply calendar is based on the UK season to give UK producers in particular the opportunity to supply their produce. Carrots for example are requested from September to April and apples from September to March.
Approximately 38 per cent of produce is supplied from UK growers with this figure rising during the UK season. Regular dialogue is held with the NFU, English Apples & Pears and the FPC to discuss the scheme and identify opportunities for English growers.
The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) has awarded contracts to 15 different companies for the supply of fruit and vegetables. Large and small companies are equally eligible to win a contract, which is awarded for up to three years. Where possible, local growers supply local schools. To apply to win a supply contract for the SFVS, please contact NHS PASA on 0118 980 8876 or register at www.pasa.nhs.uk/sid quoting the CPV code 1530000-0.
This will allow you to be contacted at the start of the tender process. Every contract process is advertised in the Official Journal for the EU at http://ted.publications.eu.int/official/
For more information about becoming a supplier visit www.5ADAY.nhs.uk/ sfvs/suppliers or email mike.tiddy@pasa.nhs.uk
WEB FOR ALL REASONS
The Department of Health has launched a new 5 A DAY website, www.5ADAY.nhs.uk, packed with top tips, games and recipes.
The website acts as a one stop shop for both commercial and non-commercial sectors interested in participating in the 5 A DAY programme, with a dedicated area for existing and potential partners. This section provides a summary of the 5 A DAY programme, outlining the use of campaign logos (the campaign logo and the portion indicator), how to apply for a licence, and information about the benefits of getting involved in the 5 A DAY programme.
The site features a password-protected area for logo licensee partners, which allows access to free support material. 5 A DAY newsletters and contact details for the regional and local co-ordinators and dedicated support teams are also accessible from this section of the website.
BE A PARTNER IN 5
MESSAGES about the importance of 5 A DAY are starting to filter through, but, there is still a lot of work to be done and all organisations in the fresh produce sector have an important role to play.
Brand marketing agency 23red was appointed in January 2004 by the Department of Health as its partnership marketing agency for 5 A DAY. 23red’s role is to work closely, and develop partnerships with, commercial and non- commercial brands, with a focus on the food industry.
The aim of these partnerships is to provide valuable resources and encouragement to help organisations get behind 5 A DAY and promote the health benefits of eating a variety of at least five portions every day to their consumers.
The 5 A DAY campaign has enjoyed substantial success in the past two years and has over 450 logo licence holders. 23red has worked with organisations in the fresh produce sector, such as fruit marketer Capespan, which effectively incorporated 5 A DAY communication into its sampling campaign last summer, and JP Fruit which also supported the campaign by distributing 5 A DAY materials at events, as well as displaying the campaign logo on its website and lorries. 23red is keen to hear from any organisations that would like to become a 5 A DAY partner.
The retail sector is a key area for promoting the importance of fruit and veg consumption; the 23red team has worked with Iceland, T&S stores and Costcutter to draw attention to their fruit and veg offering. These retailers also communicated more detailed information to their customers about portion sizes and which foods count towards 5 A DAY.
You may not deal directly with consumers but this doesn’t mean that you can’t make a valuable contribution to 5 A DAY by promoting the importance of fruit and veg consumption - here is a quick summary of how you could get involved:
• Talk to your contacts at the retailers you supply to encourage them to support 5 A DAY - perhaps you could undertake a joint 5 A DAY promotion?
• Apply for a licence to use the official 5 A DAY logo on your packaging and any communications materials you may have such as leaflets, website and customer newsletters. The licence is free for use on promotional materials and just £100 per year per organisation for use on packaging across all qualifying products.
• Distribute free 5 A DAY resources such as booklets and leaflets to your customer base
• Display 5 A DAY posters where possible
Partners in the fresh produce sector can enjoy a number of benefits, such as:
• Promoting the healthy benefits of your products (and growing the fresh produce sector)
• Association with a high profile government programme
• Access to Department of Health materials and resources
If you would like more details about how your organisation could benefit from supporting 5 A DAY, call Emilie Bennetts, or another member of the 5 A DAY team at 23red, on 0870 013 0023 or 5aday@23red.com. Alternatively, visit www.5ADAY.nhs.uk/partners.
