Waitrose hosts school produce sales
Primary and secondary schools from across London and other parts of the UK have been selling home grown produce, from wonky carrots to misshapen strawberries, outside Waitrose branches this week.
The School Food Matters ‘School Produce Sale’ was hosted at 20 Waitrose branches in London and a further six towns and cities across the UK. The initiative saw schools pupils tempting Waitrose customers and the local community to buy fruit and vegetables grown within their own school grounds.
This is the third year Waitrose has teamed up with School Food Matters, the charity behind the ‘School Produce Sale’. The project was successfully piloted in 2010 with two schools selling produce at Waitrose in Kingston-upon-Thames and was extended last year to 20 London schools selling produce at ten Waitrose branches. This year the initiative has been rolled out to a further six towns around the country for the first time.
Managing director of Waitrose, Mark Price, said: “We are delighted to give even more students the chance to run a business for the first time, however small the scale, and it’s fantastic that the money they raise goes directly back into their projects.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“Growing at school encourages children to eat well and to go for a wider variety in their food – we believe this is very important as it paves the way for making good nutritional choices throughout their lives. The initiative also gives gardening access to many children and helps them enjoy the very best of British produce while it’s in season.”
Rosie Boycott, chair of London Food and patron of School Food Matters added: “Food growing in schools is proven to alter children’s diets. It’s an easy and effective investment to improve children’s health, bring communities together and brighten up London. I salute all the schools participating in this brilliant project. What better way to celebrate their efforts and promote entrepreneurial skills than by having the opportunity to sell their produce to harvest money needed to keep growing fresh, delicious food.”
