News and Events

Nutrition Education Now Available For Year 9 Students in NZ

Posted on June 04, 2018

Curriculum-linked resources are now available for Year 9 students to teach them vital information about food and nutrition so they can make healthier food choices for life.

‘Knowing Your Nutrients with 5+ A Day’ is an inquiry-based resource which aims to bust some of the myths and misconceptions around nutrition, and prompt discussion beyond labelling foods as being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for you.

It’s the first time resources have been developed specifically for this age group by the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust who partnered with Plant & Food Research and education experts Cognition Education Group, for this project.

5+ A Day Launches New Print & Digital Resources To New Zealand Teachers

Posted on April 30, 2018

New 5+ A Day education resources will be sent to all primary schools nationwide this term to help teach Kiwi kids the importance of eating fresh fruit and vegetables.

Ten new lesson plans, catering for Years 1-6, have been developed for New Zealand teachers by the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust and now include interactive eBooks which students can use in the classroom and at home.

“5+ A Day has been developing free curriculum-linked print resources for many years but these new ones have been developed by global education experts Cognition Education Group,” explains 5+ A Day Project Manager Carmel Ireland. “Supplementary material is available online including new digitally interactive eBooks which we’ve never done before and are quite excited about.

“The print and online resources are engaging, colourful and promote fruit and vegetable consumption by using lots of different topics which are linked to TheNew Zealand Curriculumthrough health and physical education, literacy, numeracy and science.

5+ A Day’s mascot, Fredge, is the star of five new eBooks which can be experienced on tablets, computers, or with the whole class using a data projector. Each title is designed to be used as part of one of the lessons, as an introduction, or to help reinforce key ideas through small group or independent use.

New Research Proves Kiwis Amongst the Highest Consumers of Fruit and Vegetables Globally

Posted on August 14, 2017

Research released today by the 5+ A Day Charitable Trust puts Kiwis on the global map when it comes to awareness of the health benefits and consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Awareness of the 5+ A Day message, which encourages all Kiwis to eat five or more servings of colourful, fresh fruit and vegetables every day, remains high with cut through to 87 per cent of all New Zealanders - equating to more than 4 million people.

“Compared to global statistics on fruit and vegetable consumption we rate among the highest in the world,” says Paula Dudley, General Manager of 5+ A Day.

5+ A Day launches new interactive education website

Posted on February 16, 2017

A new interactive website makes it even easier for educators to help children learn about healthy eating.

5+ A Day has launched a new website dedicated to its free teaching resources, making them more accessible to educators.

The ‘Growing and Learning with 5+ A Day’ website includes new interactive features. It is also home to the 5+ A Day material currently used in early childhood centres, primary, intermediate and secondary schools nationwide.

104,000 kids to benefit from Fruit in Schools

Posted on February 15, 2017

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says over 104,000 students will benefit from the Fruit in Schools programme as kids settle back into school.

“We're continuing to get overwhelmingly positive feedback from schools about the success of our Fruit in Schools programme," says Dr Coleman.

“This includes schools who've been with the programme since it started and also those who came in last year - they tell us that the healthy eating options are helping their kids in both their work, and also at play.

“It's great to see a programme like Fruit in Schools making a real difference to the health and well-being of Kiwi kids.

“Fruit in Schools complements the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. New Zealand is one of the first OECD countries to have a target and a comprehensive plan to tackle childhood obesity.”

This year 543 schools will take part in Fruit in Schools, which sees high quality seasonal fruit and vegetables delivered each week. Up to 24 different types of fruit and vegetables are on the menu throughout the country and more than 20 million servings of produce will be dished up over the year.

Five tips for a healthy school lunch box

Posted on January 24, 2017

Cooking up new ideas for school lunches can be a challenge, but seasonal produce provides lots of variety for a healthy lunch, says 5+ A Day.

Nutrients are vital in helping children concentrate in class and getting them through the school day. Lunch time is when they refuel to boost energy levels, ready to take on the afternoon.

Filling lunch boxes with pre-packaged food that is often high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, can be the easy option. But picking fresh seasonal produce over ready-made means lunch can provide up to one third of a child’s recommended daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.

To help maintain kids’ energy levels during the day, lunch should consist of a variety of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, good fats and calcium-rich foods. Getting children involved by asking what they would like for lunch will help increase the likelihood of lunch boxes coming home empty.