The UK retailer expects to see overall fruit and veg intake for pupils increase by 23 per cent, as it looks to improve healthy eating
Tesco is investing £4mn into a new scheme that will provide thousands of young people with fruit and vegetables.
The retailer’s ‘Fruit & Veg for Schools’ initiative, which has been developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, will provide funding for up to 140,000 pupils to receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day.
The funding will support pupils in 400 schools where there is a higher-than-average free school meal ratio, and in total will provide around 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables.
According to recent research by FareShare amongst 10,000 teachers, 28 per cent of teachers across England have brought in food for pupils in the last term, which is up from 26 per cent in summer term 2023.
Currently, only 12 per cent of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation.
For children taking part in the scheme, Tesco expects to see their overall fruit and veg intake increase by 23 per cent, based on the average 5-a-day intakes in school-aged children.
Tesco group chief executive, Ken Murphy said: “Our aim is to enable schools to provide enough fruit and veg for every child to have at least one piece every day.
“Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools will make a real difference by providing something that young people look forward to receiving every day, and we hope it will be another little nudge to get them eating healthy food.”
He added: “We know we can’t change habits overnight, but we can ensure that young people in some of the most challenged communities in the UK get access to more fruit and veg. We want to help them try something new, learn about food and how to prepare and cook it.”
Chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, Elaine Hindal commented: “We welcome this significant investment from Tesco to help improve the diets of our young people.
“By targeting funding to pupils in areas in need of a little extra help, this is a meaningful and impactful intervention.
“Beyond the funding, we’re excited to strengthen the support with educational resources that will help teachers inspire pupils and foster an ambition to develop healthy habits for these pupils to take through life.”
Minister for public health and prevention, Andrew Gwynne added: “With only one-in-five children eating the recommended portions of fruit and veg a day, it’s fantastic to see Tesco’s commitment to helping children access healthier foods.”
