North launch for five-a-day scheme
Aug 13 2008 by William Green, Journal
WHITEHALL is investing cash in North East stores to encourage them to sell fruit and vegetables, The Journal can reveal.
Health Minister Ivan Lewis will unveil £800,000 to be spent on a national programme to help local shops in deprived areas sell more fresh, healthy fare to their customers by providing storage units and display material.
And he will announce the first 120 convenience stores to benefit from the three-year scheme will be in the North East during visits to the Bunny Hill Customer Service Centre in Sunderland and the Hartfields Retirement Village in Hartlepool.
Dr George Rae, regional chairman of the BMA GP committee, said the scheme could help improve people’s health while business chiefs welcomed support for independent stores.
North East Minister Nick Brown applauded the plan.
He said: “This is a good initiative. It is great that the first 120 stores to benefit from this new scheme are in the North East of England.
“The Government is providing storage and display material to help local shops retail fresh fruit and vegetables. We all know in principle that we should eat five pieces of fresh fruit and vegetables a day.
“The Government is trying to make it easier to actually do so. This is a good scheme and our region is first.”
Dr Rae said the health of people in the North East had improved but said the region remained the unhealthiest in England.
He said: “Anything that can be done and everything that can be done to help people in the North East improve their health is something that would have my approval.
“For your general health and well-being, fruit and vegetables are undoubtedly very important.”
Roberta Blackman-Woods, Labour MP for Durham City, said: “It is very much to be welcomed because sometimes small shops find it hard to stock and keep a good range of fresh fruit and vegetables.
“And if this is able to help them that is a very good thing as well as help people eat more healthily.”
Ross Smith, from the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is good if the Government is recognising that supporting independent businesses can be a means of delivering its wider aims, in this case in terms of health.”
It is great that the first 120 stores to benefit from this new scheme are in the North East
