170,000 children to take part in sustainable growing campaign
SuperValu and not-for-profit social enterprise Grow It Yourself (GIY) have announced the launch of their 2025 Let's Grow campaign.
The campaign is designed to engage primary schools in food education and sustainable growing practices.
SuperValu has said that nearly 170,000 primary school children will participate in the initiative by the end of 2025, learning essential skills, and receiving resources to cultivate fresh food for free at school.
As part of the launch, last year's winners, Nagle Rice National School from Milltown, Co. Kerry, visited students at Strawberry Hill National School in Cork City, to demonstrate that 'There's Always Space to Grow,' whether your school is located in a rural area or an urban setting.
Award winning chef Lilly Higgins launched the campaign yesterday (February 12) and has created a series of family-friendly recipes as part of the initiative.
Speaking about the campaign Higgins said that she is a big believer in encouraging children to grow and prepare their own food in a positive and sustainable way,
"By giving our kids the power to cook with ingredients they’ve grown themselves, we can inspire them to get excited about fruit and veg."
Running from March to June 2025 the programme immerses students in the full lifecycle of food, from planting seeds to cultivating their own vegetables, as well as creating recipes and cooking the food they have grown.
Primary schools will also have the chance to win prizes, including a new school garden to the value of €1,000 and additional regional rewards such as SuperValu vouchers and GIY goodie bags.
Jan Keirns of Nagle Rice National School said: “We were thrilled to be named the overall champions last year and the prize fund has allowed us to buy picnic benches for the garden so that all the classes can take their lessons outside and benefit even more from the space.”
GIY said that research it carried out had shown that children who grow their own food develop 'food empathy', or a stronger connection to their meals that sparks curiosity, healthier eating habits, and an openness to trying new food
Ali Honour, campus director and head of food at GIY, said: "This initiative is a powerful opportunity to equip children with essential life skills; growing their own food and developing a deep appreciation for fresh, seasonal, and nutritious ingredients.
Schools have until February 21 to register for the programme and can do so online or in their local SuperValu.
