ONE IN FIVE SCHOOL CHILDREN THINK STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE & KETCHUP COUNT TOWARDS FIVE-A-DAY

• An optimistic one in ten kids (9%) also think that ice cream and cake are part of their five-a-day.
• Over one in five (22%) don’t know where broccoli comes from, with suggestions including a factory, a freezer and a tree.
• To help kids build their food knowledge, Lidl GB is partnering with OnSide to serve up free summer cooking clubs.
• With nearly a third of parents (29%) struggling to afford healthy food, Lidl is also giving away £25 vouchers to help families access affordable, healthier food choices this summer.

With one in five (19%) children thinking that strawberry milkshake and tomato ketchup count towards their ‘five a day’, Lidl is helping parents tackle their children’s food knowledge gaps and build interest in healthy eating via free summer cooking clubs and Lidl Plus vouchers during the summer holidays.

The research of 1,000 UK 8 - 11 year olds revealed some key misunderstandings around healthy food. Over one in five (22%) don’t know where broccoli is grown, with answers including in a factory and inside the freezer, while one in four (28%) are unsure where strawberries come from. More than one in ten (12%) think that chips are a healthy choice, and a hopeful one in ten (9%) think that ice cream and cake count towards their five-a-day.

The findings also highlighted the additional costs families face during the school holidays, with parents providing more meals in the absence of free school meals, making it harder to put nutritious food on the table. The majority (86%) said that the school holidays put pressure on providing healthy meals, with almost one in three parents (29%) saying they have concerns around the price of nutritious meals.

In response, Lidl is tackling both challenges this summer by combining practical food education with Lidl Plus vouchers designed to make healthy eating more affordable.

Lidl GB is partnering with OnSide to deliver free Lidl Foodies Summer Clubs in five UK cities during the school summer holidays, reaching an estimated 1,000 children in Bristol, Carlisle, Croydon, Manchester and Wolverhampton. With a third of children (32%) more open to trying healthy options if they could help prepare nutritious meals, the hands-on cooking club sessions will focus on healthy, quick and easy recipes that kids can then recreate at home. All children attending the clubs will receive a free fruit coupon, redeemable via Lidl Plus.

Alongside the clubs, the discounter is helping families boost their budgets this summer with the chance to win £25 Lidl vouchers, so parents can stock up on fresh, affordable food over the holidays via the Lidl Plus app. To enter for a chance to win a voucher to spend in store, members of the public can visit this link before midnight Tuesday 28th July.  

Georgina Hall, Director of Corporate Affairs at Lidl GB, said: "As busy families prepare for six weeks without the school routine, we know that providing healthy meals can feel challenging. Our Lidl Foodies Summer Clubs will give kids hands-on experience in the kitchen while making healthy food prep fun, helping to build their enjoyment of fruit and vegetables. While they might not have all the right answers, our research shows that kids really like learning about food - with more than half saying they’d love to learn how to cook. This summer we hope to give kids the tools to experiment with healthy dishes at our cooking clubs and at home.”

Commenting on the announcement, Jamie Masraff, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OnSide said: "We know that the school holidays can be a challenging time for many families, with the loss of routine and additional financial pressures making it harder to access activities and healthy meals. That's why partnerships like this are so important. Through our network of Youth Zones, we're creating opportunities for around 1,000 young people to come together, learn practical cooking skills, build confidence and have fun in a safe, supportive environment. We're proud to be working with Lidl to help inspire healthier habits while giving young people experiences and skills that can make a lasting difference."

Building on its £675,000 investment in the Lidl Foodies schools-based programme, the discounter is introducing an additional £100,000 donation specifically for the Summer Club initiative. Now in its second year, the Lidl Foodies scheme is active in over 25% of British primary schools, and has reached 640,000 children to date. The launch also follows the discounter’s recent announcement of its in-store Scavenger Hunt, as the supermarket plans to extend Lidl Foodies out of the classroom, onto the shop floor and into the communities that need it most this summer. 

For more information on the Lidl Foodies Summer Clubs and to check availability in your area, please follow this link.

ENDS

Notes to Editor
*Please see a link to the terms and conditions of the competition here. Entrants must be aged 18 years or over. Participants under the age of 18 must obtain written parental or guardian consent to enter and claim the Prize. Vouchers will be handed out on a first come first served basis.

About the research
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,000 8–11-year-olds in the UK (excl. Northern Ireland) and their parents. The data was collected between 16/06/2026 - 26/06/2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles. 

About Lidl GB
Since arriving in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and is now the UK’s fifth largest supermarket with over 35,000 employees, across more than 1,010 stores and 13 distribution centres spanning England, Scotland, and Wales.

As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry. On a global scale, the supermarket connects over 395,000 colleagues, operating around 12,900 stores and more than 230 logistics centres across 32 countries.

The discounter takes pride in its value-led proposition, providing customers across Great Britain, from Dingwall in the highlands of Scotland to Penzance in Cornwall, with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices.

At the heart of everything the discounter does is its global brand positioning: More to Value. While Lidl GB remains famous for keeping grocery bills low, it believes true value goes far deeper than the price tag and places a strong emphasis on its responsibility for people, society and the environment. 

Lidl GB is also passionate about the strength of long-term supplier partnerships and sources two thirds of its products from British suppliers. By shifting the focus toward emotional and community benefits, Lidl proves that everyday savings doesn't mean compromising on what matters most.

The Schwarz Group is the largest retail group in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. In the financial year 2025 it generated a revenue of €185.6 billion.

For more information about Lidl GB visit corporate.lidl.co.uk