Mandeville Primary School takes centre stage in national Tesco campaign

As part of the national launch of this scheme, Mandeville Primary School pupils took the starring role in a series of video clips that will be shared with millions of followers of Tesco’s social media.

They were joined by author and chef, Poppy O’Toole – who has over 4 million followers on TikTok – to try out a range of exciting recipes. Poppy also led the pupils through a series of fun fruit and veg-related activities, which are all part of the cooking and healthy eating programme that pupils enjoy at Mandeville Primary School.

Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools has been developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and will provide funding for pupils in 400 schools across the UK to receive at least one piece of fruit or veg a day, giving their diets a healthy and nutritious boost.

Schools will receive around 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables in total, the equivalent of 110 portions per child on average over a school year.

Mandeville Primary School - part of the Leap Federation of primary schools - will be taking part in Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools from October 2024.

Marc Thompson, Head Teacher at Mandeville Primary School, said: “We are delighted to be involved in the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools campaign. We are committed to providing our children with delicious, healthy, nutritious meals and are grateful for Tesco's support with this- every little helps!”

Research by the charity FareShare of 10,000 teachers in England found that 28% have brought in food for pupils in the last term, up from 26% in summer term 2023.

And in a recent survey by brand and social impact agency We Are Futures, 71% of teachers said that they would prioritise the availability of ‘fruit and veg for all pupils’ if more funding was available.

Only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 meeting the five-a-day recommendation[3] and Tesco expects to see their overall fruit and veg intake of children taking part in the scheme to increase by 23%.

The British Nutrition Foundation estimates that, over the school year, this would increase intakes by 7% for vitamin A, 25% for vitamin C, 14% for folate and 10% for fibre, based on average intakes of these nutrients in children.

The scheme is focused on areas with higher free school meal participation as data shows that families on lower incomes struggle to afford a healthy diet.[4]

The schools taking part in the scheme 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.”

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