Research suggests growing fruit and veg at school could be best way to introduce children to a more varied diet
Less than a third of children can correctly identify a beetroot or courgette, according to a survey of more than 1,000 7-11-year-olds commissioned by Borough Market.
Just 28 per cent recognised a beetroot, while 31 per cent could identify a courgette and 36 per cent knew what a squash looked like.
The most recognised were carrots and strawberries, with 95 per cent of the children surveyed correctly identifying them.
The study revealed that the proportion of children that have tried growing their own fruit and vegetables at school has increased by 10 per cent since 2018, up from 39 to 49 per cent.
What’s more, children cited growing their own produce as the biggest influence on them trying a wider variety of fruit and vegetables.
Almost a third (30 per cent) said growing their own would encourage them to try more types of fresh produce.
This was above seeing their family eat more (23 per cent), being offered more at school (20 per cent), seeing their friends eat more (18 per cent), or even their favourite music star (nine per cent).
Nearly one in five (17 per cent) say they never help with cooking, with 20 per cent of this group saying the reason they don’t is that they are not allowed to. However, there is a desire to get hands on, with 54 per cent saying they would like to learn how to cook and 44 per cent saying they would like to learn how to grow their own fruit and veg.
Since 2011, Borough Market and School Food Matters have been running the Young Marketeers programme, designed to help school children in London understand where their food comes from and how to cook with it.
Children who take part in the programme grow their own fruit and veg at school, before selling their produce to the public at the market.
Borough Market CEO Jane Swift said: “It’s really encouraging to see the passion and curiosity from school children around growing food and understanding where it comes from.
“Growing their own produce is a great way for children to connect with the food on their plate and our research suggests it could even be the ticket to helping them eat a more varied diet.
“The Young Marketeers programme is a leading example of how this can be done and we are proud to have been supporting School Food Matters to reach pupils across London for the last 13 years.”
On Wednesday 2 October, from 11am to 1.30pm, children from 12 local primary schools will set up stalls at Borough Market to sell fruit and vegetables that they have grown from seed at school, as part of the annual Harvest Market Day.
All proceeds will be donated to Plan Zheroes, a food redistribution charity that collects quality surplus food from businesses in London and redistributes it to charities supporting vulnerable people across the city.
To date, the partnership has seen more than 250 schools attend trader training. Some students have grown their own fruit and veg and sold it at the market, while others have made soup from seasonal produce. Over the years, over £14,000 has been raised for charities from these sales.
