How to get kids to eat vegetables?

Get them to grow them! 
 
A successful new school gardening programme may hold the key to one of modern life’s great dilemma for parents: how to get children to eat vegetables, Food Minister Trevor Sargent suggested today.
 
He said a programme to encourage schoolchildren to grow their own fruit and vegetables can change the dietary habits of the next generation. Speaking at the final of Agri-Aware’s Incredible Edible’s growing challenge today in the RDS, Minister Sargent said early learning on food would last a lifetime.
 
Minister Sargent said: “Most of today’s schoolchildren have not had the opportunity to experience growing food at home or on an allotment. Previous generations would have grown up with vegetable patches in the back garden, but much of that has been lost.
 
“By introducing a new food growing challenge into schools, we’ve taught children how to grow food and to consider wider issues such as nutrition and healthy eating, food security, air miles, the agriculture industry and food costs Experience shows that kids are more likely to eat food that they’ve been involved with growing, particularly in the home. This programme has encouraged children to involve their parents and continue the food growing experience at home.”
 
Two thirds of all primary schools in Ireland took part in the Incredible Edibles programme, which was introduced last Autumn by Minster Sargent and Agri-Aware following the success of the Grow your Spuds campaign. It is estimated that 100,000 schoolchildren grew potatoes, lettuces, cabbages, scallions and strawberries in their classroom this year.
 
“As obesity levels continue to soar, I hope that the experience of growing fresh healthy food, will stay with these children and encourage them to eat healthily and choose home-grown nutritious foods over processed convenience foods,” said Minister Sargent.
 
The Green Party’s www.getgrowing.ie campaign, launched last March also aims to get people growing food at home, on an allotment or in a community garden. “This is not about gardening,” said Minister Sargent. “This is about getting to a place where we are capable and have the resources to supply our island-nation with our own food.”

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