School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

(asked on 15th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to assess the merits of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme; and what recent assessment he has made of the effect on children of the suspension of that scheme since March 2020.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 21st July 2020

On 18 March the Government announced that from 23 March 2020, as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools would remain open only for a limited number of pupils - vulnerable children and children of key workers, as defined by the Government.

A decision was taken in March that the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme would not operate for the whole of the summer term of 2020, recognising the substantial operational difficulties which would need to be resolved in order to restart a large, national scheme like the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme part-way through a term. This ensures that as little fresh produce goes to waste as possible. The funding for the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme which will not be spent during the summer term is being used to support the NHS and other priorities during the pandemic.

The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme will resume in September when all children will return to school. As before, all children in Key Stage 1 in state-funded primary schools will receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day.

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