Lidl Northern Ireland has launched Lidl Foodies, a new free food nutrition education programme designed to help children aged 4–7 years old to build healthy eating habits and a more positive relationship with fruit and vegetables.
The programme, which will be available to primary schools across Northern Ireland, has been developed to support teachers with fun, engaging and practical classroom resources, helping pupils explore where food comes from, how fruit and vegetables are grown, and how they can be used to create simple, healthy meals.
According to the Food Standards Agency’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2017 to 2023) for Northern Ireland assessing nutrient intake from age 18 months upward, fruit, vegetable, and fibre consumption remains critically below government guidelines across all age groups, with just 4% of 11 to 18-year-olds reaching their 5-a-day. This highlights an urgent need for early food education, and the importance of helping young children explore, grow, and prepare fresh produce before long-term dietary habits become established.
Delivered in the classroom, Lidl Foodies is structured around three seasonal learning modules. Lidl Tasters, which is delivered in the autumn encourages children to explore the smell, taste and texture of fresh fruit and vegetables, while Lidl Growers, which is delivered in the springtime teaches them where food comes from and how to grow their own. Delivered during the summer term, Lidl Makers enables pupils to prepare simple, healthy recipes and develop basic cooking skills.
The programme – which represents an investment of £40,000 in Northern Ireland – is linked to the existing curriculum area ‘The World Around Us’, with free lesson plans, activity sheets, classroom displays, shopping lists, food safety and allergen guidance, and the first 150 teachers to register for the first module will receive a £100 Lidl gift card upon sign-up. It will also be available as a full Irish-language programme for Gaelscoileanna.
To mark the launch, Lidl NI has partnered with County Down educator, author and podcaster, Caroline McKenna. A former teacher, Caroline now owns and runs an education centre in Castlewellan, where she focuses on helping young people build confidence, resilience and life skills.
Speaking at the launch of the programme at the Lidl Farm in Newbridge, County Kildare, Caroline McKenna said: “As a former teacher, I know how powerful practical, hands-on learning can be for children. When pupils are encouraged to ask questions, try new things and get involved, that is when learning really sticks.
“What I love about Lidl Foodies is that it makes food education and nutrition feel fun and accessible. It gives children the chance to explore fruit and vegetables through taste, play, growing and simple recipes, while giving teachers ready-made resources they can use in the classroom. I’m proud to support the launch here in Northern Ireland and I would urge schools and teachers to get involved.”
Commenting on the importance of practical food education for young children, registered dietitian Orla Walsh said: “One of the biggest misconceptions around children and healthy eating is that if they refuse a food once, they simply don’t like it. In reality, it can take many opportunities for a child to become comfortable with a new food, and those experiences are often most successful when there is no pressure to eat it.
That is why programmes like Lidl Foodies can be so valuable. A child might grow a vegetable before tasting it, learn where it comes from, prepare it with their classmates or simply become familiar with how it looks and feels. All of those experiences count. Building a positive relationship with food starts with curiosity and confidence and giving children those opportunities early can make a meaningful difference to how they approach food as they grow.”
Kabin Crew, the young Cork music collective behind the global viral hit ‘The Spark’, is back with a fresh mission: turning fruit, vegetables and healthy lunchboxes into its next big anthem. The group has released an original track and music video, ‘Lidl Lunchbox Flex’, created as part of the Lidl Foodies programme to encourage primary school children across the island to become more curious and confident about fruit and vegetables. The song celebrates building a “good routine”, choosing “food that’s clean”, “watching what you munch, not the greasy kind of crunch”, and trying simple, enjoyable ways to prepare and eat fresh ingredients.
Lidl Northern Ireland
Commenting on the investment in Lidl Foodies, Eimear O Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director for Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: “At Lidl, we are committed to supporting healthier, more sustainable diets and making good food accessible for families across Northern Ireland. As a supermarket, we know we have an important role to play – not only by offering high-quality, nutritious food at affordable prices, but also by helping shoppers and families feel informed, confident and supported in the choices they make.
“Lidl Foodies is a natural extension of that commitment. By bringing food education into the classroom in a fun, practical and age-appropriate way, we hope to help children develop a positive relationship with healthy food from an early age. We are delighted to launch Lidl Foodies for schools across Northern Ireland and to work with Caroline McKenna, whose background in education and passion for helping children build confidence makes her a brilliant ambassador for the programme.”
The launch of Lidl Foodies forms part of Lidl’s wider commitment to supporting healthier, more sustainable diets and helping families make positive food choices. It follows Lidl Northern Ireland’s recent nutrition commitments, including a dedicated fibre strategy, developed with registered dietician and nutrition ambassador Orla Walsh, committing to increase the total tonnage of fibre sold by 20% and boost wholegrains to 20% of all grains sold by 2030.
Registration for the Lidl Foodies programme opens on 15th September 2026. Teachers can sign up through National Schools Partnership
* National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2017 to 2023 Report for Northern Ireland https://data.food.gov.uk/catalog/datasets/854210ec-b551-4f2a-bada-219be22195bb?
