Slimy, soggy strips in a plastic bag: Is this the best that Food Dudes can do?

Dr Elaine McGoff says there's a clear disconnect between trying to promote healthy eating in schools, but then providing pre-packaged produce in sterile single-use packaging.

Pic: iStock

Food Dudes came to my daughters' school last week. For the uninitiated, it is a Bord Bia-sponsored school programme that aims to encourage primary school children to eat more healthily by delivering ‘fresh’ fruit and vegetables to the school over 16 days. The theory is that the more we taste a novel food, the more we like it. As a mother of two daughters, including one who does her best to abide by a strictly beige diet, this seemed like a great idea. I could outsource the weekly ‘just taste it’ battles to school and hope peer pressure worked its magic.

At a time when one in five primary schoolchildren are considered overweight or obese, any programme that encourages healthier eating should be welcomed. And according to the research, the Food Dudes programme, which has a budget of nearly €3 million annually, is working, with higher percentages of students bringing fruit and vegetables to school after the programme.