Dental nurse launches crusade against raisins at school

A determined member of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry is trying to change the policy of the Government-funded School Fruit and Vegetable Service (SFVS) which gives out dried raisins as a snack on the first day of each half term.

Jo Dawson is a dental nurse and Oral Health Educator at Devonshire House in Cambridgeshire. The point Jo makes is that by giving out the dried raisins, the schools create the perception that raisins are a healthy snack to enjoy between meals.

Jo said: 'Like most schools in the country, my children's primary school receives fruit snacks through the SFVS, including raisins 6 times a year on the first day of every half term. This by itself is not entirely alarming, but it has implications. Schools cannot discourage dried fruit brought in as snacks by older children when they are given out by SFVS.'