 The fruit and vegetable scheme is part of the drive to cut child obesity |
Finger puppets, story books and a "fruit and veg CD" are being sent to schools to help educate children about the importance of healthy eating. Announcing the initiative, the government said two million children in England now receive a free piece of fruit or veg at school every day.
The scheme is the biggest programme to boost child nutrition since the free school milk scheme introduced in 1946.
Leaflets educating parents about healthy diets have also been produced.
Teachers are being encouraged to try and integrate healthy eating messages throughout the school day. The pack which is being sent out to schools also gives them advice on how to set up fruit tuck shops, cooking clubs and health focus weeks at school.
New ideas
Launching the new initiative, Health Minister Melanie Johnson said: "The pack of materials that I am launching today is designed to get children thinking about the food they eat by making it fun and part of their normal school day routine.
"The hope is that the message will spread from school to home and there is already evidence it is changing eating habits at home."
She added: "I hope these extra resources will give teachers some new ideas of encouraging children to try new foods - whether it's through the healthy character finger puppets and the big 'Grub' story book or asking them to join in and sing along to the fruit and veg CD."
A spokeswoman for the British Nutrition Foundation said: "We would definitely support this scheme.
"It's very important that the fruit and vegetable scheme in schools in presented in a fun and interesting way.
"It's also crucial that there is a variety available, and that the fruit and vegetables are of high quality, so that children are encouraged as much as possible to eat them."
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The hope is that the message will spread from school to home 
