This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Healthy Eating project declared success
31/01/2005
A project that provides free fruit for more than 2,000
young children throughout Edinburgh was hailed a great
success today.
Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin visited a local
primary school where the 'Pip Project' has been
enthusiastically received by both staff and pupils.
She said:
"I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the
success of the Pip Project. To see its success here at the
Royal Mile Primary School is heartening. To know that this
is repeated in 45 nurseries across Edinburgh, providing
free fruit to over 2,000 children is even better.
"The project is an excellent example of offering
children the building blocks that will enable them to make
healthier choices in their lives. Its importance to the
children cannot be underestimated. It will have a huge
impact on their long term health.
"The recent Health Behaviours in Scottish School
Children (2004) survey worryingly shows that at age 11 only
37 per cent of boys and 45 per cent of girls eat just one
portion of fruit a day. We have to work hard to increase
this.
"I believe that everyone has a part to play in
encouraging children to eat more healthily and become more
active.
"Taking even simple steps such as playing with your
kids, walking them to school or choosing carefully what
they eat, will have a lasting impact on their health.
"In Scotland one in three of our 12 year olds is
overweight, with one in 10 seriously obese. One in five of
our toddlers is overweight before their fourth birthday.
These statistics are truly frightening.
"We simply must change this country's bad habits and
there is no better place to start than with our
youngsters.
"If we can encourage a new generation to make healthier
choices, to eat five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables
a day and to take regular daily exercise, then we will make
great progress towards conquering the timebomb that
threatens the future health of our nation."
Edinburgh Councillor Ewan Aitken said:
"I can't stress enough the importance of initiatives
such as the Pip Project in improving the health of our
youngsters.
"Providing free fruit to nurseries will be fundemental
in shaping the taste buds of children from an early age,
thus making them more likely to develop positive attitudes
towards food and health as they continue to grow.
"The Education Department's aim is that by 2007, all
schools across Edinburgh will provide healthy options to
students and thanks to the Edinburgh Community Food
Initiative, we are on the right path to achieving
this."
Edinburgh Community Food Initiative (ECFI) was awarded
(in January 2004)
£385,000 over three years from the Big Lottery Fund
to launch a city-wide initiative to increase the amount and
variety of fruit and vegetables consumed by pre school
children.
The 'Pip Project' initiative operates in 45 nurseries,
supplying free fruit to over 2,000 children throughout
Edinburgh. Fruit stalls have also been set up in 31
nurseries, giving parents access to high quality, low cost
fruit.
ECFI is a city-wide organisation that works with local
communities to reduce health inequalities by tackling
barriers to a healthy diet. ECFI provides access to low
cost healthy food items by supplying and supervising 16
food co-ops across the city.
Since 1999, ECFI has managed the 'Snack Attack' fruit
tuck shop scheme that is funded by the City of Edinburgh
Council and supplies free or low cost fruit to all primary
schools in the city.
In May this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO)
described Scotland's
policy of taking multi-sectoral action to improve
diet and promote physical activity as an excellent example
for other countries to follow.