MSP Roseanna Cunningham visits Kinnoull Primary

Mar 9 2010 Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PERTH MSP Roseanna Cunningham chipped in with kids during a school visit.

The Scottish environment minister stood in line with eager Kinnoull Primary School pupils to board a double decker bus to hear all about the origins of the humble potato and nibble a few healthy snacks.

An initiative of McCain Foods, the Potato Bus sprouted from the alarming results of a 2006 British Heart Foundation survey that found one in three children did not know that chips were made from potatoes.

Thankfully, children in Perth are not so clueless. A recent McCain’s survey of local children aged seven to 11 uncovered that a resounding 100 per cent did indeed know that chips were derived from potatoes.

However, the bus, on its first visit north of the border and with a farmer and chef on board, is not only on a mission to tell the potato story but to educate children about healthy eating.

A delighted Ms Cunningham said she thought the Potato Bus was a fantastic way to help children learn more about potatoes and how they get from field to fork.

She was also relieved to hear that Perth children were not in the dark as to the relationship between spuds and chips.

“I am pleased to note that Perth’s kids have a well-above-average awareness of where their food comes from,” she said.