A major new research partnership is set to boost vegetable consumption among Queensland students, with a focus on identifying the most effective ways to help students eat more vegetables both at school and at home.
The Queensland Government's Pick of the Crop initiative, developed and delivered by Health and Wellbeing Queensland, will join the national Plus One Serve by 2030 initiative - funded through Hort Innovation's Frontiers program and coordinated by AUSVEG.
Pick of the Crop engages primary schools across Queensland to strengthen school-led strategies to encourage children to eat more vegetables. Since 2021, the initiative has been successfully delivered in more than 250 schools, reaching 54,000 students.
Despite strong public health messaging, only 4.6% of Australian children aged 2-17 met the recommended five serves of vegetables consumption a day in 2022, a decrease from 6.3% in 2017-18. The proportion of children who do not usually eat vegetables has tripled (1.5% vs. 4.5%)1.
Schools are recognised as one of the most powerful environments to influence lifelong dietary behaviours, reaching children, families and communities at scale.
Building on a successful program
The two-year research partnership will strengthen the program's evidence base by examining which school-led actions have the greatest impact on children's vegetable awareness, enjoyment and consumption.
The initiative takes a whole-of-school approach, integrating vegetable education and exposure across three areas, including curriculum, school environment, and community and family engagements.
Activities may include school garden programs, classroom learning, cooking experiences, vegetable tasting activities and connections with local growers.
A national opportunity
Pick of the Crop aligns with the Queensland Government's response to the National Obesity Strategy and contributes to the ambition of Plus One Serve by 2030 to increase vegetable consumption across the population.
By embedding sustainable actions into curriculum, tuckshops, gardens and community partnerships, the initiative seeks to ensure impact continues beyond project funding.
Research findings will be shared nationally through publications, conference presentations and the Plus One Serve network to support broader scale-up.
QUOTES
Brett Fifield, CEO, Hort Innovation
"Vegetable growers know that increasing vegetable intake - especially among children - is one of the most powerful investments we can make in Australia's future health. That's why they're working alongside Hort Innovation to drive consumption through high impact, evidence-based initiatives that turn good intentions into real, measurable change."
Dr Robyn Littlewood, CEO, Health and Wellbeing Queensland
"'Low vegetable consumption is a significant concern for all Australians.'
'This co-investment builds on the proven success of Pick of The Crop, allowing us to enhance what's already working and expand it to even more schools and communities.
'The insights from Pick of The Crop Plus One will provide a roadmap for schools and regions nationwide to adopt effective nutrition programs, creating meaningful change for the health and wellbeing of Australians and boosting public health and productivity outcomes.'
Justine Coates, Managing Director, Plus One Serve
"Improving vegetable consumption is one of the most important preventive health opportunities we have as a nation. With fewer than one in twenty Australian children meeting recommended intake, there is a clear need for coordinated, evidence-based action.
"Schools provide a powerful platform to reach children, families and communities at scale. The Pick of the Crop project further strengthens the national evidence base around the delivery of practical, scalable interventions that can be embedded across education and health systems to drive long-term impact."
Funding acknowledgement
This research project has been funded through Hort Innovation's Frontiers program, contributions from the Australian Government, and co-investment from Health and Wellbeing Queensland. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.
About Hort Innovation:
Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) is a not-for-profit, grower-owned research and development corporation (RDC) for Australia's $18.4 billion horticulture industry. It invests around $171 million in research and development and marketing programs annually to provide benefit to the 37 industry levies it supports and the wider community.
About AUSVEG Plus One Serve by 2030:
AUSVEG is the national peak industry body for Australia's 3,600 vegetable, potato and onion growers, representing $5.7 billion in annual farmgate value. AUSVEG also leads Plus One Serve by 2030, a national behaviour change program working across health, retail and community settings to lift vegetable consumption and build long-term demand for Australian-grown vegetables.
