Lidl is offering primary school teachers £100 vouchers to help children discover and taste fresh food.
The supermarket is making 1,500 digital gift cards available to schools across Great Britain during the coming school year.
Together, the vouchers are worth £150,000 and can be used to purchase fruit and vegetables for tasting sessions in the classroom.
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Teachers and schools in England, Scotland and Wales can apply through the Lidl Foodies website, as reported by What’s The Jam.
A closing date has not been announced, meaning eligible schools interested in receiving one of the vouchers may wish to apply promptly.
The giveaway forms part of an expansion of Lidl Foodies, the supermarket’s free healthy-eating education programme.
Originally created for pupils in Years 1 and 2, the scheme now includes new resources for children aged between eight and 11.
Teachers can access ready-to-use lesson plans designed to take around 20 minutes, as well as interactive activities and digital guides.
The latest materials cover sustainable farming, reducing food waste and the Planetary Health Diet, which promotes eating patterns intended to benefit both people and the environment.
The expansion follows research commissioned by Lidl involving 1,000 children aged eight to 11 and their parents.
It found that 19% of the youngsters surveyed believed tomato ketchup and strawberry milkshakes counted towards their five-a-day.
More than one in five – 22% – also thought broccoli was produced in a factory or harvested from a freezer.
Georgina Hall, director of corporate affairs at Lidl GB, said: “Getting children excited about fresh, healthy food starts with practical experience in the classroom.
“By putting £150,000 directly into the hands of teachers for classroom tasting sessions and opening up our resources to older primary pupils, we’re helping schools build positive, lifelong food habits for the next generation.”
Lidl said its Foodies programme is already being used in one in four primary schools across Great Britain.
Previous materials have reached more than 200,000 pupils, while participating teachers reported that children became more interested in trying fruit and vegetables.
The retailer aims to extend the programme to 35% of British primary schools by July 2027.
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