Money spent on helping to produce a healthy younger generation surely has to be money well spent.

As promoters of healthier school meals have discovered to their dismay, there is resistance to the "new" foods on offer from both some children and their parents.

There is a lot of educating still to be done before the message gets across to everyone.

In this context, the Five-a-Day project appears to have made useful progress over the last two years.

A new report shows that in the Bradford area 19 per cent of primary schoolchildren now eat more than five items of fruit and vegetables a day compared with ten per cent in 2002.

In secondary schools, 42 per cent of children ate between three and four pieces a day last year compared with 32 per cent four years ago.

Even in nurseries, youngsters have increased their fruit and veg intake.

There is always a danger with initiatives like these that when the funding for them comes to an end their future is threatened.

Fortunately for the children of Bradford district, Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trusts have agreed to take over where Lottery money has left off and even expand the campaign.

That should prove to be a sound investment. A poor diet in childhood can store up massive health problems in adulthood which are expensive to treat.

Far better to do everything possible to steer children towards a healthier diet and lifestyle at an early age, hopefully saving a lot of money - and misery - in the long run.

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