20-06-2025
Cork primary school pupils learning how to cook through new Tesco programme
More than 80 Scoil Barra Naofa Monkstown pupils are currently taking part in the free six-week Stronger Starts Cooks programme.
The course, launched by Tesco Ireland, will be delivered to over 3,000 children, mostly fifth calss students, across 42 primary schools in Ireland.
Among the highlights of the programme is a visit to a local Tesco store, where students will get to explore the journey of food from farm to shelf, take part in a budgeting challenge and enjoy food sampling sessions.
Munster Rugby legend and proud Cork man Donncha O'Callaghan is an ambassador of the programme.
Mr O'Callaghan said giving children the tools to make healthy choices is what he 'loves most' about the programme.
'As a dad, I know how important it is to give kids the tools they need to make healthy choices, and that starts with understanding food,' he said.
'What I love most about the Stronger Starts Cooks programme is that it's not just teaching kids how to cook, it's sparking their curiosity about what they eat, where it comes from, and how to make smart decisions in the kitchen and beyond.
'It's real-life learning that sets them up for the future, and I'm proud to be involved.'
Stronger Starts Cooks builds on the success of the Stronger Starts Food programme, launched in 2021, which provides free weekly packs of fruit and vegetables to children in DEIS schools.
Research commissioned by Tesco Ireland, which surveyed 1,016 parents nationwide, found that 92pc of parents support additional food education in the school curriculum and 44pc of parents feel their children could cook a basic meal from scratch.
The research found that almost 80pc of parents believe children lack sufficient knowledge about nutrition, with 54pc saying their own children don't know enough.
Only 51pc of parents talk to their children about healthy eating only occasionally or not at all, according to the research.
