The Department of Health has devised a scheme that will give money to corner shops around the North West of England, to help boost sales of Fruit and Vegetables. This comes after a similar scheme in Scotland proved effective at improving sales.
£200,000 will be spent on the project in the first year in the North West before being expanded nationally. The money is to be used to buy new shelving, chilled cabinets and promotional material to encourage healthier eating.
The move comes as the government struggles to get people to eat the recommended five-a-day pieces of fruit and vegetables. While overall consumption has increased, just a fifth of children and a third of adults consume the healthy amount.
In Scotland, 500 stores signed up to the scheme and sales are reported to have been boosted by up to 500%.
Health minister Ivan Lewis said: “We know that families in some communities still use the corner shop on a daily basis for their food and other household goods.
“It is therefore essential we take healthy eating options to these stores and reach those families who are at the greatest risk of poor health due to a poor diet.”
James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, added: “Working together we can bring not only the access, but also the messages about healthy choices to the consumers that need it most.”
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: “We fully support the drive to encourage healthy eating through improving access to fruit and veg.
“But just providing healthy food options isn’t enough to change the way people eat. To be successful this initiative needs to be joined up with other local programmes which can educate and empower people to make healthy choices.
“Obesity is a complex problem. It will take long term, sustained investment to change the habits of the next generation.”
The start’s in the autumn.
