The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is part of the national 5 A DAY programme. Experts recommend that everyone eats at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Yet a national survey found that one in five children didn’t eat any fruit at all in a week.

Eating fruit and vegetables can help protect a child’s health in several ways:

Fruit and vegetables provide many vitamins and minerals that are important for a child’s growth and development;

They help protect against heart disease and some forms of cancer later in life;

Eating fruit and vegetables reduces the symptoms of asthma in childhood, especially in children who have a history of breathing problems.

Fruit juice, dried fruit, canned fruit, vegetable soups and baked beans all count towards the portions required. You can help your child attain the target 5 A DAY by adding fruit or vegetables to their lunchbox, encouraging them to buy fruit from the school tuckshop if available and providing a variety of vegetables with other meals.

For further details, log on to the Department of Health website at the address below.