CHILDREN across Kent have been getting their teeth into healthy eating, after a new scheme was launched to encourage them to eat fruit and vegetables every day.

About 70 per cent of the county's 570 infant, primary and special schools which have been eligible for the Government's free fruit and veg scheme have so far signed up for pupils to tuck into a healthy snack each morning.

The county's schools have been in the first wave of the Government's scheme, which provides a free portion of fruit or vegetable for every child in the school each morning.

Youngsters at St Paul's Infants School in Hillary Road, Maidstone, are among the pupils taking advantage of the scheme.

Head teacher Jenny Jones said: "We have been surprised and pleased with how the children have been willing to try some new fruits that they might not otherwise have tried. It is a very good scheme because it means we know everybody has had a healthy snack in the day.

"It is a really nice, inclusive project because everyone gets to have some, and we are really pleased with the way it is going."

Youngsters at the school get to try a piece of fruit including bananas, apples and strawberries, or vegetables including carrots and cherry tomatoes, to make sure they get their five portions of fruit or vegetables each day under the Government-funded scheme.

Joanne Condon, area co-ordinator for the school's Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, said: "At the moment, we have around 70 per cent of schools which have joined up for the scheme, although we hope that to eventually be 100 per cent.”

The scheme, aimed at four to six-year-olds, is initially funded by the Government until March 2006.