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Dept of Health

Answer

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of fruit supplied to schools under the National School Fruit Scheme is sourced from (a) suppliers within 25 miles of the school supplied, (b) national suppliers and (c) overseas suppliers; [194273] (2) what percentage of fruit supplied to schools under the National School Fruit Scheme is sourced according to seasonal variations in local and national availability. [194274] Miss Melanie Johnson: From the period September 2003 to September 2004, 38 per cent., of the fruit and vegetables supplied under the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme were of United Kingdom origin, with 62 per cent., coming from overseas. Source according to produce type for the year September 2003-September 2004 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. UK origin percentage Non-UK origin percentage Apples 47.95 52.05 Pears 10.82 89.18 Soft Citrus -- 100 Tomatoes 7 93 Strawberries 100 -- Banana -- 100 Carrots 100 -- _________________________________________________________________________________________________. There are currently 14 School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme suppliers supplying seven different types of fruit and vegetables across the country. All suppliers are UK based. We do not hold information centrally about the distance of School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme suppliers in relation to the schools they supply. We have designed the school consumption calendar to reflect any seasonality for produce on a national and international level. Listed in the following table are the primary sources of produce for any given period in time. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Fruit Month Country Apples September-February UK and Northern Europe February-July Southern Hemisphere, eg South Africa, New Zealand Pears September-November UK and Northern Europe Soft Citrus October-January Spain, Portugal, Morocco February South Africa, South America Tomatoes All year UK, Spain Strawberries July and September UK Banana All year Caribbean, North Africa Carrots September-March UK _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Although some fruit, such as satsumas and bananas, cannot be grown in the UK and other types of fruit including apples and pears may only be available in certain areas at certain times of the year, we are keen to explore ways of maximising locally grown produce. We believe that children should have access to the same quality and variety of fruit and vegetables wherever they are in the country. Wherever possible we encourage local and national UK growers to participate in the scheme.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

426 c1667-8W;426 c1669-71W; 194273;194274

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Distribution Fruit Location Schools School fruit and vegetable scheme

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk