We’re delighted to confirm a further 12 months support for Food for Thought, the programme funded by Business in the Community Scotland, Education Scotland and the Scottish Government, which aims to help spread the healthy eating message in Scottish schools. At the same time the programme aims to provide a better understanding of the importance of the food and drink industry to the Scottish economy.

Over the past year we have been working on a ‘Healthy Breakfast Challenge’ in primary schools across Scotland. The most recent challenge, supported by Jamie’s Italian in Glasgow and Lidl, which was the biggest to date, saw more than 140 children from P4 – P7 from Heriot Primary in Paisley taking part in a range of activities designed to educate the children about the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast.

The children learned about healthy and non-healthy foods, the importance of a balanced diet and how many sugars can be hidden in foods, and also had the opportunity to try porridge with a variety of toppings.

Following the launch of the challenge in the school, the children are now undertaking the month-long breakfast diary challenge, which we sponsor through the provision of diaries and prizes. The children record what they’ve had for breakfast in words and pictures, along with their healthy snacks and any exercise they’ve done, and after a month, prizes are awarded for both creativity and healthy eating.

Hamlyns’ Managing Director, Alan Meikle said: “Working with Food for Thought has been really positive for Hamlyns of Scotland. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, especially for young people who need fuel for their brains and their bodies. The breakfast diaries are an excellent way to encourage healthy eating, and we really hope that that the Healthy Breakfast Challenge helps participants to create a healthy breakfast habit.”

Vivian Maeda, Food for Thought Project Manager at Business in the Community Scotland said: “Hamlyns of Scotland has worked with Food for Thought for the past three years in a number of ways including talks on food production, porridge tasting, developing healthy breakfast bars and the Healthy Breakfast Challenge. It really is a great example of how Scottish food producers can get involved with schools, and I look forward to continuing to work with them as we move into Phase 5 of Food for Thought.”