Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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275. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 244 of 6 April 2017, the details of the Food Dudes project and the school fruit scheme projects; the locations being targeted by these projects; the number of communities and schools that have benefitted from this; the number that are expected to benefit and the timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19019/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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A taste for fruit and vegetables is promoted in Irish primary schools through Food Dudes, which was developed by Bangor University, Wales and is the model chosen by Ireland to implement the EU School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.  The programme is managed by Bord Bia and funded by my Department and the EU.  The cost for the 2016/2017 school year is estimated to be €3.167m, including EU funding of €1.309m.

Food Dudes aims to develop a taste for fruit and vegetables among primary schoolchildren and to encourage increased consumption through repeated tasting of fruit and vegetables over a 16-day intervention period, supported by accompanying measures in the form of role models (Food Dudes Heroes) and small rewards. The intervention period is followed by a home phase during which parents continue to provide fruit and vegetables in red and green ‘Food Dudes’ lunch boxes.

Food Dudes is open to all primary schools as it was considered that a general approach embracing all primary schoolchildren, including children with special needs, was advisable. The first roll-out concluded in 2014 having reached 477,423 school children and 3,127 schools, representing 95% of primary schools.  Building on the success of the programme, a Food Dudes Boost Programme was piloted and introduced in late 2014. It has a stronger focus on the Junior Cycle (junior infants to second class) who enjoy a 16-day tasting period, while Senior students (third to sixth class) take part in an 8-day tasting period. By the end of this school year, Food Dudes Boost will have been implemented in 2,209 schools and reached 357,533 children. It is expected that the Boost roll-out will conclude in the 2017/2018 school year, that is in under 4 years compared to 9 years for the original programme.

My Department and Bord Bia are currently considering the design of a further Food Dudes model, which will have a starting date in the 2018/19 school year. It is envisaged that this will again focus particularly on Junior and Senior Infant classes, as early interventions have been found to have the greatest impact.  It will also include measures to sustain the increases in consumption of fruit and vegetables achieved to date. A new EU framework, which will take effect from 1 August 2017 provides for some increase in funding.

Food Dudes has been evaluated several times. Each evaluation has shown increased fruit and vegetable consumption in the target group. An evaluation by UCD in 2011 showed that fruit consumption increased by 20% (from 58.5% to 78.5%) and vegetable consumption by 42% (from 11.5% to 53.5%). The most recent evaluation was carried out by UCD in 2016 and comprised 3 studies - a longitudinal study which revisited children who had participated in an evaluation 6 years previously, a second study focused on Senior Cycle students and a third study focused on Junior Cycle students. The longitudinal study was the first of its kind in Ireland.  It showed that this particular group of children was consuming 13% more fruit and 6% more vegetables in 2016 than before they took part in the Food Dudes intervention in 2010. The second study (Senior Cycle) and third study (Junior Cycle) both showed that fruit and vegetables consumption increased following the Food Dudes intervention. The programme was found to be most effective amongst the Junior Cycle, especially in the case of vegetables, where there was more than a fourfold increase in quantities brought in to school and consumed in school after the intervention.

Ireland is regarded as a leader in successful implementation of the EU School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme through the choice of the Food Dudes model, which is backed up by strong scientific evidence. The EU has suggested Ireland as a good source of advice to a number of Member States, most recently, Finland who visited Ireland before Christmas to see Food Dudes Boost first hand. Since that visit, Finland has made its first application for EU funding to implement a School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme.