A LOCAL farm is diversifying by supplying organic carrots to schoolchildren.

Grower Stephen Metcalfe of Low House Farm, Aldborough, near Boroughbridge, has won the contract to supply 1,800 schools with carrots as part of the Government's £77m National School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

The schoolchildren from across Yorkshire and the Humber will begin to receive free fruit and vegetables at school this autumn as part of the bid to promote healthy eating and tackle obesity.

Every child aged four to six will be eligible to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each day under the scheme.

The region's youngsters will be particularly lucky as, alongside apples, bananas and easy-peel citrus fruit, each week they will eat Yorkshire-grown organic carrots.

Ten tonnes of carrots a week from 60 acres of fields around Aldborough will be supplied to participating schools across the region. The carrots will be washed, cut and shaped into rounded batons at the farm before being sealed in portion packs.

Farm adviser Mark Palmer said that 200,000 children would be offered the carrots.

"The scheme has been good for us to help diversify as most of our produce goes to just two huge supermarkets. It is good business to have won another contract as supermarkets can drop contracts at the drop of a hat."

Low House Farm also grows potatoes and cereals on 700 acres in total.

"We rent land on which to grow our produce - some as far away as Scarborough - and are always on the lookout for new land to rent if it is suitable for organic produce."

As a trial, children were blindfolded and asked to eat both an organically grown carrot and others - they chose the organic as the tastiest.

"We were very pleased with this as it confirmed our belief that organic is best," added Mr Palmer.

Rosie Denison, public health nutritionist and NSFVS co-ordinator for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "The evidence shows that eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day has very real benefits.

"A great deal of work has gone on to get this scheme up and working and we are pleased that a local farm has won the contract.

"When the Government says it wants a local product, it means UK. When I say local I mean from the region, so we are very pleased that farmers were persuaded to tender for the two-year contract.

"We have programmed the supply and distribution of the carrots to children to coincide with the growing season."

It is hoped that the next locally-grown items will be cucumbers and tomatoes.

Obesity has almost trebled in the last 20 years and shortens life by as much as nine years. Health statistics show that one 15-year-old in seven, and one six-year-old in 12, is obese.

Rosie Denison said eating five portions a day could help prevent up to 20pc of deaths from heart disease and some cancers.

"Current figures on children's fruit and vegetable consumption are not encouraging, " she said. "One in five children do not eat any fruit; three in five don't eat any leafy green vegetables, and half drink no pure fruit juice - kids in the lowest income groups eat the least of all.

"By helping young children to form good eating habits early in life, the scheme is an extremely welcome addition to our drive to tackle obesity and encourage healthier eating across the region."

The scheme is being delivered in three stages, with North and East Yorkshire starting on November 25