Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill was treated to a tasty lesson in healthy eating when he visited Wykeham Primary School.
He joined the 38 pupils aged between four and eleven in something of a ‘hands on’ demonstration of the award-winning PhunkyFoods programme aimed at improving children’s understanding of nutrition.
Mr Goodwill commented; ‘I was very impressed when I visited Wykeham School with the whole PhunkyFoods programme. The children certainly enjoyed the process of making a healthy and nutritious dessert and indeed, some were trying foods such as kiwi fruit that they hadn’t tried before.
Responsible food manufacturers like McCain Foods understand the importance of a healthy, balanced diet and I pay tribute to the work that is being done up and down the country in spreading the healthy eating message’.
The programme, now used in more than 2,000 primary schools across the UK, so impressed head teacher James Pynn at Ripley Endowed Church of England School that he decided to implement it when he moved to Wykeham Church of England School in 2012.
“I liked the ethos of the programme which teaches children about healthy eating through fun activities, games, drama, music and PE lessons,” said Mr Pynn. “This is particularly important amid all the current publicity surrounding the perils of obesity and the need for children from an early age to learn about healthy eating and lifestyles.”
Michelle Hanchard, company dietitian with Harrogate-based PhunkyFoods said: “Eating well and being physically active results in kids who are more alert in the classroom and better able to maintain a healthy weight; this is good for their self-esteem as well as short and long-term health benefits. The PhunkyFoods programme encourages a hands on approach to learning about food, from farm to fork, in a fun and engaging way- as Mr Pynn, his staff and pupils have discovered.”
PhunkyFoods is supported by a group of funding partners as part of their commitment to educating children and their communities on the importance of healthy lifestyles. McCain Foods, a proud member of the funding group commented, “we are pleased that our support has allowed Wykeham School pupils to benefit from the PhunkyFoods programme. Through our work with PhunkyFoods we have supported a total of 150 schools neighbouring our production facilities in the UK to access the programme, of which over fifty schools are based in Yorkshire”.