It would appear the School Fruit & Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) has moved up the political agenda, judging by the two damaging scare stories published in quick succession.

Equally, it would seem that both stories were utterly without foundation. Those involved with the SFVS are, to a man and woman, nonplussed by the statistics quoted in the latest article to hit the headlines on Sunday (p1) and flabbergasted by the accusations levelled at the scheme.

Fergus Lowe, architect of the Bangor Project, which has been introduced to Irish schools to encourage long-term fresh produce consumption amongst children, was one of the quoted critics. He has history with the UK government and is undoubtedly frustrated at the lack of a breakthrough for the project in this country, but his dismissal of the SFVS as “hopeless” can do nothing to help his cause.

If anything is likely to get ministers twitching in their seats of power, it is a stream of bad publicity, particularly when they are nearing local elections, a change of prime minister and possibly even a change of government.

The Bangor Project works. But the SFVS was the high-profile forerunner of a number of projects introduced to improve the diets of the nation’s schoolchildren. Its demise would severely damage any healthy-eating cause.

The SFVS is still a relatively new scheme and it appears to work too. Give it space to breathe.