Supermarket plants seeds to get children eating better

Sunday 26 June 2016

School children in Jersey have teamed up with a big local supermarket to do some growing and selling this summer and learn more about healthy eating.

Waitrose have kitted out nine local primary schools with everything they need to grow lettuce, courgettes and basil in their own vegetable patch.

St Luke’s, Grouville, St Clement, St Martin, Samares, Bel Royal, St Saviour, Janvrin and Rouge Bouillon are all taking part in the supermarket’s ‘Grow and Sell’ scheme this year. At the end of term, the children at each school will do a presentation to show what crops they've grown and what roles they've played in growing them.

The winning school will be off to Woodside Farm to see how they grow food on a much larger scale and the supermarket will provide a healthy lunch for all the children, prepared by Caring Cooks of Jersey, the charity that helps parents of school-aged children prepare nutritious and tasty meals.

Darren Le Quelenec, Department Manager Retail Support for the St Saviour branch, said: “Since our branches opened in 2011, we have made it our duty to be involved with the community, from donating food to the local foodbanks to the sponsorship of the Games Makers at the 2015 NatWest Island Games.  

“Healthy eating is a key message for us, particularly the education of young people and we want to make that our legacy on the island. Our Partners, as all staff are known, will be working with the schools to check their progress.”

The Supermarkets annual Grow and Sell initiative began in 2013 and they now provide a specially designed 'Grow and Sell' app to help teachers, parents and children plant and care for their crops. The app also gives information on where food comes from, how it's produced and environmental issues like the importance of seasonality and sustainability.