Government gives lasting commitment to 5-a-day

GovernmentAL and organisational support for the 5-a-day campaign in all its facets will be maintained through the Department of Health for the next three years, according to Danila Armstrong, acting DoH nutrition programme manager.

This comprises the national school fruit scheme, community initiatives and the national/local partnership between government and consumer groups. Close links with the trade will continue alongside an extended communications plan and a re-launch of the logo.

Speaking at the Horticultural Crops for Human Health conference, held at HRI Wellesbourne this week, Armstrong also gave a detailed insight into the progress of the campaign to date.

“There is evidence to show it is working,” she told crop scientists and growers, adding that criticisms that teachers would not have time to participate in the scheme have proved to be unfounded.

"The national school fruit scheme aimed to provide 2.5 million children between the ages of four and six in 16,000 primary schools with a free piece of fruit each school day from 2004. To date four regions out of nine are involved, covering more than 800,000 children,” she said.

"Ultimately 500m pieces of fruit, or 70,000t, could be distributed which represents, for example, 40 per cent of the apple market."

The DoH also plans to widen the range of products in the scheme to include vegetables. "Trials have been very positive, although, as a result, we might even have to change the name of the initiative," said Armstrong. A further aspect is that teaching aids established in the Bangor project are being evaluated with a view to incorporating them into the DoH project.

Regional and local 5-a-day campaigns are also working well, supporting 66 new initiatives of which 54 are already underway. These are being financed through a £10m New Opportunities fund.

The campaigns are recognised as an important commitment to the government's Food & Health Action Plan, an initial draft for the future of which is anticipated early next year. Stakeholder are being canvassed for their views until September, and may also be involved later.

Doug Henderson, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, chairing the conference, immediately welcomed the news.

Earlier he had told delegates that fruit and vegetable consumption in the UK had hardly moved between 1988 and 2001. "Previous promotional activities had in effect failed to create demand, instead increasing competition and driving prices down," he said.

"However 5-a-day is designed to improve diet and contribute to overall better health and has started to correct this imbalance. The fact that the DoH will continue to fund the Fruit for Schools campaign in particular in the years ahead, is good news indeed."

Henderson added that within the extended scheme there could be opportunities for the industry itself to stimulate local production as part of supplying schools.

• The conference also heard that mineral-rich vegetables helping make up deficiencies of selenium in the human diet could be a reality on the supermarket shelf within five years. The practice is already widely established in the dairy industries in New Zealand and Finland.

In the first year of the experiment carrots, white cabbage, onions and potatoes will be harvested. "Such techniques could add value to farmers' produce," said Mark Tucker, head of plant nutrition for Hydro Agri UK.