It appears there is such a thing as a free lunch - at least under a state opposition election promise.
The coalition's proposed Healthy Lunches program, to provide a free, healthy lunch for prep to year 12 students, has been welcomed by Victorian fruit and vegetable growers.
The coalition says the scheme will help educational outcomes and reduce the spiralling cost of living.
The program would target all school students in an opt-in scheme, at a cost of about $300 million a year.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy, said the proposal would save time and money, while ensuring students ate well.
"This is a simple way the government can help with cost of living - up to $5,000 a year the average family can save," Mr Guy said.
"I want kids to have a proper healthy lunch to focus on learning."
The program is intended to be introduced across all Victorian public schools by the end of 2026, with a two-year trial in selected schools to begin next year.
AUSVEG chair Bill Bulmer, Lindenow, said growers would more than welcome the addition of fresh fruit and snacking vegetables into lunches.
He said it would be a great compliment to the recently launched Fruit & Vegetable Consortium report, which recommended lifting Australia's declining vegetable consumption.
The Fruit and Vegetable Consortium is, backed by key organisations to collectively push for comprehensive action to address the nation's complacency about eating fruits and vegetables.
"It's a great way to coincide with the consortium, to try and get some runs on the board at the moment," Mr Bulmer.
"Anything that can encourage good healthy eating is worthwhile for the small amount it would cost, for the contribution of growers, I think the outcome would be tenfold."
The consortium aimed to encourage people to eat another half serve of vegetables a day.
"That would contribute something like $600 million back to the bottom line of vegetable growers," he said.
Victorian Farmers Federation Horticulture group president Nathan Free, Lake Boga, said it was a positive plan.
"Research has always suggested that ensuring kids have access to fresh fruit and vegetables at a young age goes through to adult life and encourages uptake in the family as well," he said.
"It can only be a positive thing and something we should work towards."
He said the push to encourage more consumption of fruit and vegetables among students was a perennial one.
"I think it runs in cycles but we need to come and look at it seriously - having the government looking at our fresh fruit and vegetables is important," he said.
'We can support our farmers, industry and the whole supply chain, from where fruit and vegetables are grown to the supermarket.
"Victoria can supply a huge amount of that need, we have a lot of different crops and growing regions within the same state.
"We are top of the food bowl, we can supply a lot of different fruit and vegetables all the time."
Vernview Orchards, Launching Place, owner Sue Finger agreed the program should be looked at seriously.
"Anything that gets children eating healthily is a good thing - we have had other health promotions in the past," Ms Finger said.
"A million years ago we had free milk, there's been various types of fruit being made available in schools, so we have tried it before.
'Unfortunately, with a lot government programs they only have short term funding, rather than being embedded."
She said affordability wasn't a real issue.
"Fruit and vegetables are still very affordable, for the benefits you can get out of them, so as a producer it's rather amusing people say they are expensive.
"I think people's budgets is being stretched by other factors, not necessarily food.
"But there is a great variety of produce available - to get people to try new things can only be a good thing, and set up lifetime habits."
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
