B.C. is proud to celebrate 10 years of the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional program, and thanks to $3.5 million in new funding this year, it will continue bringing fruits, vegetables and milk to children in classrooms throughout the province.

“From humble beginnings with only ten schools, a decade later we’re seeing phenomenal success with nearly 90% of B.C. public and First Nations schools involved in the program,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “By providing children with fresh, delicious fruits, vegetables and milk, we’re helping them develop an appetite for healthy living - a crucial part of our Healthy Families BC prevention strategy and a major priority for the future of our health system.”

The BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional program provides snacks of fruits and vegetables right in the classroom to children, allowing them to sample B.C. produce such as plums, blueberries, apples, tomatoes and carrots. The Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Services Authority have provided combined funding of $21.5 million to the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation since 2010-11 to support the program.

“We want to support students every way we can - and studies show that children who eat healthy food are more attentive and better able to focus on their studies,” said Education Minister Peter Fassbender. “This is a great program that benefits the well-being of B.C. school children and also creates healthy learning environments.”

“This program works directly with local growers and distributors to bring fresh B.C. produce to the students, right in the classroom. It is great that students are also learning that eating fresh, local produce supports B.C. farmers and the economies of our rural regions,” said Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick.

New this year, the Fresh to You fundraiser was recently introduced in schools. Fresh to You allows families to buy fresh bundles of produce, with 40% of the proceeds going to support the school. This year with the launch of the fundraiser, 60 schools raised a total of $34,382 through the sales of 4,387 bundles packed full of B.C. produce.

“Thanks to this program students from throughout the province are now learning how important it is to make fruits and vegetables a part of their regular diet - both at school and at home,” said Lindsay Babineau, executive director, BC Agriculture in the Classroom. “This additional funding and fundraising initiatives will support the continuation of the program.”

The BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional program was created in partnership with the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Education and is led by the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing B.C.’s agriculture to students.

Quick Facts:

• For 10 years, the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional program has helped to increase access to locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables and milk for children in the classroom.
• The program is now delivered to more than 1,463 or nearly 90% of public and First Nations schools throughout British Columbia.
• In 2014-15, this program provided fresh fruits and vegetables from 651 B.C. growers to 489,758 students in grades K-12 in 1,463 public and First Nations schools.
• In the 2013-14 school year, milk has been provided through a partnership with the BC Dairy Association to 83,102 students in grades K-2 in 777 schools.
• Deliveries are 13 times per school year.
• The BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program promotes B.C.-grown produce, and key partners include the Overwaitea Food Group and Save-On-Foods, Saputo Canada and many other regional and local producers and distributors.

Learn More:

If you are interested in learning more about the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional program and the Fresh to You Fundraiser, please visit: http://www.aitc.ca/bc/

Media Contacts:

Laura Heinze
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963

Dave Townsend
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Agriculture
250 356-7098
250 889-5945 (mobile)