Free fuit and veg to prevent obesity

UK school children are to be given free fruit and vegetables every day in an attempt to curb rising obesity levels.

More than 800 pupils from three city schools in Sheffield will be offered a range of fruit and vegetables including strawberries, sugar snap peas, apples, bananas, pears and carrots.

If the experiment is successful, it will be introduced to other young people across Sheffield within the next two years.

It is intended to establish whether offering free fruit to pupils aged 11 and 12 increases their uptake of fruit and vegetables, contributing towards ’5 a day’ Government recommendations. The first people to take part will be Year 7 pupils from Westfield, City and Sheffield Park Academy schools.

The move is a result of worrying figures which suggest that young people eat less fruit and vegetables when they transfer from primary to secondary school.

It is part of Sheffield’s Healthy Towns Programme, led by NHS Sheffield in partnership with Sheffield City Council.

Amy Plant, healthy schools co-ordinator for NHS Sheffield, said: “Currently free fruit is offered to children in the city aged four to six and the scheme has worked to encourage young people to eat fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced diet during their school lives, helping them to develop healthy eating habits for the rest of their lives.”

Council cabinet member Andrew Sangar said: “Childhood obesity is a problem that is affecting the whole country, not just here in Sheffield. “But we need to make sure we are doing what we can in this city to make our children as healthy as possible and personally speaking I think this is a fantastic way forward.”

Youngsters aged between seven and 14 will be offered one-to-one and group sessions with advice on improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and addressing their emotional health as part of a project to tackle obesity.

The ‘Sheffield Watch-It’ programme will be provided by Zest, a community organisation run in “a relaxed and supportive environment” at community venues across the city.

The service, based on a model developed in Leeds, can be accessed directly by families who are concerned about a child’s weight, or, if a weight issue is identified as part of a health check, children may be referred by their GP or a school nurse.

Ellie Brown, childhood obesity lead for NHS Sheffield, said: “The success of the service will be measured by long-term health improvements achieved by children and their families over a two year period, not by short term weight loss.”

Janet Skirrow, deputy chief executive of Zest, said: “We have operated a successful healthy living centre at Upperthorpe for several years and have supported many adults to lose weight and improve their health.

“This service is all about working with families and children to support them in making changes to improve their health in the long term.”

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