Blue Peter puts food back on the menu with its biggest ever appeal: Mission Nutrition

As world food prices sky-rocket, malnutrition reigns large, and the credit crunch sees poverty take its toll; Blue Peter will tomorrow launch Mission Nutrition to help children around the world eat and grow better food.

Tuesday 4 November 2008

For its biggest appeal yet, not only is Blue Peter partnering for the first time with three charities: ContinYou, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and Save the Children, but it’s also reverting back to its traditional and most successful fundraiser — the good old bring and buy sale.  

Through Mission Nutrition, Blue Peter will help children in the UK, as well as in Bangladesh, Colombia and South Africa, making the appeal truly global as the long-running children's programme celebrates its 50th birthday.  

Tim Levell, editor of Blue Peter, said: “Every five seconds, another child dies from hunger related causes.  We hope Mission Nutrition will present a real opportunity for children to understand more about food — where it comes from, how to grow their own, what is healthy and what the challenges are to eating well for children around the world. We want to put 2 million meals on plates. It’s an ambitious mission, but one we know we’ll be able to achieve with people’s help.” 

All money raised by families around the UK will help:

  • Provide daily meals for children in Bangladesh, Colombia and South Africa through Save the Children
  • Set up new breakfast clubs across the UK through ContinYou
  • Help children in all four countries grow their own food by setting up gardens in schools and communities through the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and Save the Children.

Helen Skelton, Blue Peter presenter, said, “It’s time for everyone to muck in! This is a huge mission. We need to open breakfast clubs so children get a proper meal to start their day, because one in five children in the UK is not eating breakfast at all. And I saw for myself how bad situations can get when I was in Bangladesh last month. Half the children there are stunted in growth because they haven’t had the nutritious food they need to develop properly.

"We’re also going to be learning how to grow food so we know more about what we’re eating and can eat better in the future. Please join us and get involved in this appeal. Let’s start getting meals on plates!”

Malnutrition is the single biggest cause of child deaths in the world. And with global food prices 83% higher now than they were three years ago, this Appeal is launching at a crucial time. In Bangladesh alone - one of the four countries benefitting from  Mission Nutrition - evidence shows that increases in the price of rice could result in 900,000 more malnourished children. 

Some examples of how the money will be spent

  • £1 buys lunch for a schoolchild in Columbia
  • £5 buys a pack of vegetable and herb seeds suitable for indoor growing at home or at school in the UK
  • £40 buys 100 meals for children in Bangladesh
  • £150 could provide a family with tools and skills to set up a garden in South Africa
  • £250 will help create a food-growing garden for a UK school
  • £350 gets a breakfast club up and running in a UK school 

The appeal’s new website launching today, http://www.missionnutrition.org.uk/, gives more information about some of the children Mission Nutrition will be helping, and explains the challenges they face to getting enough good food. This site also hosts order forms for the following downloadable materials:

  • a poster
  • educational resources — nine activities to use with groups to get them learning about the Mission
  • a fundraising guide, with stickers and a poster to help set up your own bring and buy
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