UK gov injects funding for nutrition programme

The UK government has approved a £2.2 million funding package to improve food and health education and awareness in schools, and extended coverage of its Healthy Schools Programme, Health Media reports. The Food in Schools programme aims to give a consistent message about food and nutrition. It promotes healthy breakfasts, and fruit tuck shops, and plans to extend the national fruit scheme. Under the initiatives, children will be encouraged to cook and grow food in schools, with free fruit for infants. "We want our children to have the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices. This programme will help them understand the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle,"​ said Jacqui Smith, the schools minister. Public Health Minister Yvette Cooper said the programme would help lay the foundations for a healthy diet that could prevent disease and obesity later in life. "For too many families, access to a healthy diet is limited, especially in some low income areas where affordable fruit and vegetables can be hard to find,"​ she said.