Dozens of children across Oldham will receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day thanks to a £4m investment from Tesco.

The supermarket giant has launched a nationwide scheme with a mission to give 400 schools with a higher-than-average free school meal ratio free fruit and vegetables.

Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools has been developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and Groundwork UK and will donate an estimated 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables.

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Over the course of a school year, that's the equivalent of around 110 portions per child.

The initiative will provide funding to three schools in Oldham so that pupils receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day, giving their diets a healthy and nutritious boost in return.

The three schools chosen for the scheme are Willowpark Primary Academy, on Vulcan Street, St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School on St Martin's Road, Fitton Hill, and Limehurst Community Primary School on White Bank Road.

The schools taking part in the scheme will be able to shop for the fruit and veg the school needs in local stores. 

The scheme comes as research by the charity FareShare reveals around 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 the summer term of 2023.

Another survey by the brand and social impact agency, We Are Futures, found 71 per cent of teachers said they would prioritise the availability of fruit and veg for all pupils if more funding was available.

Approximately just 12 per cent of children between the ages of 11 and 18 currently meet the five-a-day recommendation and Tesco hopes its initiative will see this increase to 23 per cent among the children taking part.

Tesco has chosen to focus on areas with higher free school meal participants as data shows families on lower incomes struggle to afford a healthy diet.

The British Nutrition Foundation estimates that, over the school year, youngsters benefitting from the scheme could see a 7 per cent increase in vitamin A, 25 per cent in vitamin C, 14 per cent for folate and 10 per cent for fibre.

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.”

Elaine Hindal, Chief Executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, added: “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 said: “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.

"We're committed to giving every child the best start in life, by funding healthy free breakfast clubs across the country, so that pupils start the day with hungry minds - not bellies."  

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk