LONDON – Tesco has teamed up with the Children’s Food Trust to expand the Let’s Get Cooking program, the largest network of school cooking clubs in the United Kingdom.
Supported by the Tesco Eat Happy Project, children learn how to cook a variety of meals at the Let’s Get Cooking clubs, from healthy favorites such as salads, omelets and soups to world cuisine including curries, stir fry and chili.
The new cooking clubs will be concentrated in disadvantaged areas with a high proportion of low income families, where improving cooking skills can have the greatest impact for children. According to Tesco, research in the U.K. shows children from low-income homes are more likely to be obese – over a fifth of children from low-income households were classified as obese in 2013, compared with only 7% of children in higher income groups.
Tesco says that the clubs are having a real and lasting impact on children’s relationship with food, noting that research shows that almost all children who take part in the program cook again at home, and more than half say they eat more healthily since learning to cook at a club.
As well as keeping around 3,000 existing clubs going, this new partnership with Tesco will help the Children’s Food Trust set up an additional 1,000 clubs across the U.K. during 2016. This means up to 72,000 more children will benefit from learning how to cook at the clubs.
“If we want children in the U.K. to eat better, we have to give them the skills they need to cook,” said Linda Cregan, CEO of the Children’s Food Trust.
Josh Hardie, corporate responsibility director for Tesco, added that the Tesco Eat Happy Project can help the next generation have a happier and healthier relationship with their food. “A crucial part of this means giving children the tools they need to make better decisions about what they put on their plates when they grow up.”
“We’re thrilled to be supporting Let’s Get Cooking clubs – it means we can reach as many children as possible, creating a real legacy for cooking skills in this country.”