The 5-a-day campaign is based on evidence from the World Health Organisation, which recommends consuming a minimum of 400g of fruits and vegetables per day in order to lower the risk of serious health issues.
Everyone has heard of the 5-a-day campaign, but how many of us are actually meeting this recommendation?
It may surprise you to learn that only 18% of school-aged children in the UK actually meet their 5-a-day target, averaging only 3 portions per day!
How can school meals help?
The majority of children’s packed lunches are lacking in fruit and vegetables, with only 20% packed lunches containing any vegetables at all, and 40% containing no fruit or veg.
On the other hand, the School Food Standards mean that school meals must offer:
One or more portions of vegetables or salad as an accompaniment every day
One or more portions of fruit per day
A dessert containing at least 50% fruit 2 or more times each week
At least 3 different fruits and 3 different vegetables each week
Therefore, by allowing your child to have school meals, you’re ensuring they are getting at least 2 or more portions of fruit and veg per day, as well as a variety of fruit and veg across the week. Therefore, there’s only a few more portions to make up for at home!