The Schools Fruit and Veg Scheme has received its second vote of confidence in the last month with the launch of a report revealing that 13 percent more schoolchildren are achieving their Five-a-Day target than two years ago.
Based on a study done on 37 schools in the north east, the Further Evaluation of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme found that the number of children achieving the government target has increased from 27 percent in March 2004, to 44 percent in November 2006, and the number of portions has increased so that an average of 50 percent of children are close to achieving their Five-a-Day.
The report said that the most significant factor in the increase in fruit and vegetables consumed between November 2004 and November 2006 are improvements to school meals.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said: “This is excellent news. The SFVS is important in underpinning the government’s commitment to healthy eating in schools. It provides an opportunity for children to try out new foods, particularly vegetables, and for them to become accustomed to eating them as part of their daily diet.
“We now need to look at the potential for exploiting the opportunities provided by the Scheme to support healthy eating initiatives in schools and engage school communities in the wider strategy to tackle obesity and ensure that when children leave the scheme they continue to eat Five-a-Day.”
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