Most successful 'ever' Healthy Eating Week

This year’s Healthy Eating Week has been the most successful to date, according to its organiser, British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).

A quarter - or 2.5 million - of all UK school-aged children from 7,400 nurseries, primary and secondary schools across the UK took part.

Launched by HRH The Princess Royal, the initiative was staged to increase children’s knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, cooking, food provenance, and the benefits of physical activity among children of all ages.

Throughout the week (1-5 June), schools embarked on a series of five themed Healthy Eating Week challenges: Have Breakfast, Have 5 A Day, Drink Plenty, Get Active and Try Something New. All were designed to help children learn about important aspects of healthy eating and lifestyle.

Each year, as part of Healthy Eating Week, the BNF conducts a survey among participating children and teachers. This year, the research revealed that one in four secondary school pupils say they start the day without breakfast and, over two-thirds of children aged five to 16 are not drinking enough.

A BNF spokesperson said: 'The Healthy Eating Week challenges were therefore very pertinent, and schools undertook a wide range of activities linked to these challenges during which children of all ages learned food preparation skills, planted vegetables, tried new and unusual foods, and much more.'

Pupils at Wansdyke Primary School in Bristol, where Healthy Eating Week was launched, participated in an energetic gymnastics class to achieve their Get Active challenge, while their classmates tucked into a healthy breakfast at the breakfast club.

Adam Smith, headteacher of Wansdyke Primary School, said: “It was an honour to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to our school, the children thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Teaching children from a young age about the benefits of healthy eating and living, while making the learning fun and enjoyable, is what makes Healthy Eating Week such a success across the nation.”