3 Telford schools to get fruit and veg from Tesco in bid to get more fresh food to kids

Tesco is giving fruit and vegetables to a total of 61 schools across the West Midlands to help children receive at least one piece of fresh food per day.

Called Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools, the scheme will ultimately deliver 16 million pieces to 400 schools across the country, including 18 in the Black Country.

The supermarket, which is working with the British Nutrition Foundation and Groundwork UK, said only 12 per cent of children aged between 11 and 18 are currently meeting the five-a-day recommendation, but it expects to see their overall fruit and veg intake of children taking part in the scheme to increase by 23 per cent.

The schools taking part in the scheme - including two in Dudley, seven in Walsall and nine in Wolverhampton - will be able to shop for the fruit and veg the school needs in stores local to their school.

Ken Murphy, Tesco Group Chief Executive, 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.

“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.”

The Telford schools taking part are:

• John Randall Primary School

• Sir Alexander Fleming Primary School

• William Reynolds Primary School