Fruit puts children in a better mood

Giving children a free piece of fruit every day in school may not just improve diet - it could stop playground fights as well.

Imogen Sharp, head of heart attack and stroke prevention at the Department of Health, told the conference that schools reported better behaviour after fruit was given out.

She said: "This is only anecdotal evidence, but we don't think this is about vitamins or taking their minds off other things. It may just be that they were hungry and this was upsetting them."

The Government has pledged to have a free piece of fruit in schools for every four- to six-year-old by 2004.

The DoH has had reports that children are unfamiliar with several types of fruit. Some had never seen a pear before; others tried to bite into satsumas without peeling them.

The fruit is specially selected to be small, to suit the size of the children.

Sharp said: "It is being served mostly in the mid-morning break. Other times of day are sometimes used, but not lunchtime as the fruit is intended to complement lunch not extend it."