Tesco has announced the extension of its Fruit & Veg for Schools programme for a second academic year (2025/2026), in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation.

The scheme is set to expand to reach over 550 schools across the UK, providing free fruit and vegetables from local Tesco stores to give children a nutritious boost they might not ordinarily receive.

The programme, which originally launched in September 2024 as part of the supermarket's Stronger Starts community funding, initially saw 20 schools participate in Northern Ireland.

The focus for the second year of funding will remain specifically targeted at areas where the proportion of pupils receiving free school meals is above 50%. This targeting is crucial because data indicates that families on lower incomes often struggle to afford a healthy diet.

Current research shows that only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the recommended 'five-a-day' intake. For children participating in the Tesco scheme, the supermarket anticipates seeing their overall fruit and vegetable intake increase by 23%, based on average intakes in school-aged children. Schools taking part in the scheme will be able to shop for the produce they require in their local Tesco store.

The most popular fruits consumed in the programme's first year were:

1. Apples (225,585kg)

2. Bananas (108,602kg)

3. Oranges (92,597kg)

4. Grapes (39,771kg)

5. Strawberries (37,735kg)

Ashwin Prasad, Tesco UK CEO, commented: "Schools have told us what a positive impact the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools programme has made on their children, so we are delighted we are able to support even more schools in year two. The first year of our programme has been a huge success and by expanding it we can ensure that even more young people in some of the most challenged communities in the UK get access to more fruit and veg."

Caitlin Mullan, a Teacher at St Therese's Primary School in L'Derry, highlighted the educational and social benefits: "The Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools programme brought new excitement to breaktime for all children; they helped place orders and had great conversations about their most or least favourite fruit. It has also prompted children to budget the money allocated to their class to ensure they have enough fruit for the week, encouraging development of numeracy skill."