Government’s £40million scheme to get school children eating more fruit and vegetables is ‘actually putting them off their greens’, charity warns
- Soil Association charity says pupils are being given produce lacking in flavour
- It is calling for a review of the £40million a year School Fruit and Veg scheme
- A large amount of the produce is imported, only 13 per cent of apples and 5 per cent of pears are British
Free fruit and veg given to millions of schoolchildren is often low quality, old and possibly laced with pesticides, it is claimed.
The Soil Association food charity says pupils are being presented with produce so lacking in flavour and texture, it is teaching them to actively dislike – or at least distrust – fruit and veg.
It is calling for a review of the School Fruit and Veg scheme, which costs taxpayers £40million a year and is aimed at improving children’s health in England.
The Soil Association food charity says pupils are being presented with produce so lacking in flavour and texture
A large amount of the produce is imported – for example, only 13 per cent of apples and 5 per cent of pears are British.
This means it is likely to have been harvested some time ago and lack freshness and vitamins.
A report last year by the Pesticide Action Network also found the fruit and veg was more likely to carry chemical residues than items sold by supermarkets.
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Rob Percival, Soil Association head of food policy, said: ‘The Government must re-specify the scheme so that a higher proportion of the produce is British, local and organic, and is therefore fresher, of known provenance, containing lower pesticide residues, and is more enjoyable for children.’
But the Department of Health said food under the scheme ‘follows the same safety and quality legislation as all other fruit and vegetables supplied for consumption in the UK.’
A large amount of the produce is imported – for example, only 13 per cent of apples and 5 per cent of pears are British
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