The Northern Fruit and Vegetable Program (NFVP) is a school-based food literacy program that supplies two servings of vegetables and fruits weekly to students (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12) throughout Northern Ontario. The main goal of the program is to increase students' exposure to a variety of vegetables and fruits and improve food literacy.
Exposure to new foods includes not only eating the food but also being around the food or seeing others enjoy it. Research has shown that the more exposure children have to a variety of vegetables and fruits, the more likely they are to eat and enjoy those foods later in life (even if they dislike them now)!
The program accomplishes this goal in two ways:
- From September to June, participating schools receive weekly deliveries of vegetables and fruits from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.
- The program provides schools with educational materials for use in the classroom, as well as resources to send home to parents to help our communities build healthy habits.
This includes details on each educational activity recommended in the NFVP Activity Calendar. Also includes a sample/template for NFVP school newsletter.
Funds are provided to help schools administer the Northern Fruit and Vegetable Program. These funds can be used to cover the cost of supplies, honorariums for program volunteers, and any costs related to the implementation of related educational resources.