Supermarket giant Woolworths aspires to have up to half a million Aussie kids partake in a free ‘Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours’ within their stores in the next 12 months, in an initiative aimed at inspiring the next generation to love their fruit and vegetables.
“We know that getting children to eat fruit and vegetables every day can be tricky and parents can find it challenging to get their kids to eat their required daily intake. The Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours are designed to inspire our next generation of Aussie kids make smart and fresh food choices in an environment that they will be familiar with,” said Woolworths Supermarkets managing director, Claire Peters.
“We worked with educators, nutritionists as well as fruit and veg scientists to put together the program for our Discovery Tours to ensure real learning outcomes are achieved for each age group. Play is a key part of learning and we have quiz cards and sticker books to help extend the discussions back to the classroom and the home.”
Woolies said in a statement with almost 95 per cent of Australian children struggling to meet their recommended intake of fruit and vegetables, the supermarket giant is committed to making it easier for kids to get acquainted with their greens, and find fruit and vegetables they enjoy.
The grocery giant said it has run a successful pilot of the program in a select number of Woolworths stores over the past few months, with the ‘Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours’ bringing Australian students in-store to learn all about fruit and vegetables in a fun and interactive way.
During the tours, the students can discover and try new fruit and vegetables; learn how and where they grow; understand the benefits of eating a good variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and play veg-inspired games through a full sensory experience.
Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours have also been designed with the school curriculum in mind, catering to kids from Early Learning Centres all the way up to year 6. The full program will kick off from Term 3 and teachers and educators can book a free Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tour for their classes at their local Woolworths store. Amongst the key learning outcomes of the tour:
- ELC-Kindergarten kids will learn about the importance of eating a rainbow of fruit and vegetable colours.
- Years 1 – 2 kids will learn how different fruit and vegetables are good for different parts of their body.
- Years 3 – 4 kids will discover fruit and vegetables don’t grow the same and they have different seasons.
- Years 5 – 6 kids will learn about sustainability and waste reduction.
The Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Fresh Fair was launched last May, where Aussie children and parents had an introduction to what they can experience on a Discovery Tour with their school. The supermarket giant said more than 18 million pieces of fruit have been given away each year in store as part of the Free Fruit for Kids initiative.
