Research Evidence
Annual Schools Survey 2025
Each year the PhunkyFoods research and development team conduct an annual school survey and the data is published on our website. Our headline findings from the 2024/25 survey are shown below.
99% of respondents using the programme rated the PhunkyFoods package as either 'good' or 'excellent'.
83% of schools reported that they deliver key healthy lifestyle messages to children more frequently since launching PhunkyFoods in school.
95% of schools responding to the survey stated that they believed that the implementation of the PFP and/or use of its resources in school had had a positive impact on awareness and knowledge of healthy eating issues for their pupils. Some schools were able to offer evidence for this through pupil surveys, workbooks and homework. Others reported evidence around children being able to 'discuss' healthy lifestyle issues more fully and more knowledgeably. Evidence given included statements such as;
"The children are able to talk more readily about the choices they are making and why it's important to eat 5 a day or try and eat a rainbow. They can also talk about potatoes that are not part of their 5 a day. We have noticed in science that their foundational knowledge in terms of nutrition is more secure."
"Children are more knowledgeable about what a healthy balanced diet means. The children know more about how they can eat five portions of fruit and veg a day as well as what is a healthier snack. This is evidenced in pupil voice and snack choices."
“After an assembly about the importance of drinking water - not squash - many children began filling their water bottles with water!"
"By using the programme and the resources, children are provided with key information that they retain. I see the evidence of this when they attend cook school and are able to answer questions."
"Children are confident talking about balanced diet and have really enjoyed taking part in practical lessons. We have had lots of pictures from parents showing children then going home to repeat the recipe at home for family members."
"The children can speak confidently about the importance of a healthy and varied diet"
90% of schools responding to the survey stated that they believed that the implementation of the PFP and/or use of its resources in school had had a positive impact on improving healthy eating behaviour of their pupils. Most of this improvement was reported in terms of improved snack and school lunch choices and observing healthier lunchboxes. Several respondents also reported an increased willingness of their children to try new foods. Evidence given included statements such as;
"The implementation of the PhunkyFoods programme, and the utilisation of its resources within our school, has significantly enhanced pupils' awareness and knowledge of healthy lifestyles, particularly concerning healthy eating and physical activity. This impact is evidenced by the children's improved ability to articulate their understanding of healthy choices and their enthusiasm for discussing the benefits of nutritious foods. Moreover, an observable enhancement in the quality of healthy snacks brought to school by the pupils has been noted, indicating a direct influence of the programme on their dietary habits. Furthermore, children whose parents have engaged with the PhunkyFoods sessions have conveyed a greater involvement in meal preparation and an openness to trying new foods. This collective engagement showcases a positive shift in attitudes towards healthy eating, underscoring the effectiveness of the PhunkyFoods initiative in fostering a health-conscious environment."
"Pupils are talking more about healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Pupils in KS1 have been actively bringing in healthier breaktime snacks."
"Pupils are excited to try different foods. Introducing them to more savoury options that are based around a healthy diet has meant that some pupils have made better snack choices. We have had regular discussions with the pupils about healthy food choices and feedback from the pupils has shown that they make 'better' choices."
"Children have been introduced to new foods and have gone on to become more adventurous with other food choices."
"More children have been wanting to eat hot dinners"
"Families who attended the Family Cook Clubs have reported that their children were more open to trying vegetables in the group setting and will now eat things at home that they wouldn't have done before."
Annual Pupils Survey 2025
Each year our local PhunkyFoods Coordinators ask a sample of pupils to report on any changes to the way they eat, and any changes to their physical activity levels, since taking part in the PhunkyFoods Programme. The results for the 2024/25 academic year are shown below:
Eating vegetables at school lunchtimes: Pilot and feasibility studies testing strategies to improve intake.
Appetite (2024). 201, 107622
Chawner, LR.¹, Birtill, P.¹, Cockroft, JE². and Hetherington, MM¹.
¹School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
²Purely Nutrition Ltd, Marlow, SL7 2QH UK
The feasibility and acceptability of a primary school-based programme targeting diet and physical activity: the PhunkyFoods Programme
Pilot and Feasibility Studies 2019 [Open Access]
Pinki Sahota¹, Meaghan Christian¹, Rhiannon Day¹ and Kim Cocks²
¹ School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3HE
² KCStats Consultancy, Leeds, UK
Increasing intake of an unfamiliar vegetable in preschool children through learning using storybooks and sensory play: A cluster randomized trial
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2019 [Open Access]
Chandani Nekitsing¹, Pam Bllundell-Birtill¹, Jennie E Cockroft², Marion M. Hetherington¹
¹School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
²Purely Nutrition Ltd, Harrogate, HG1 1DL, UK
Taste exposure increases intake and nutrition education increases willingness to try an unfamiliar vegetable in preschool children: a cluster randomized trial.
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2019 [Open Access]
Chandani Nekitsing¹, Pam Bllundell-Birtill¹, Jennie E Cockroft², Marion M. Hetherington¹
¹School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
²Purely Nutrition Ltd, Harrogate, HG1 1DL, UK
PhunkyFoods Early Years Programme in East Sussex
Since 2015, almost 190 early years settings across East Sussex have participated in the Early Years PhunkyFoods programme, with approximately 260 early years practitioners having participated in a PhunkyFoods training course. The programme has been funded by East Sussex Public Health (and by NHS Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Hastings and Rother CCG as part of the 2016/17 Nursery Grants Programme).
- Post the training, an incredible 97% of practitioners have reported an increase in their confidence to deliver key healthy lifestyle messages for early years children.
- As part of an annual evaluation survey, 94% of active settings who responded reported an increase in delivery of key healthy lifestyle messages in their setting as a result of participating in the PhunkyFoods Programme.
- 88% of settings responding to the survey also stated that they believed that the implementation of the PhunkyFoods Programme had had a positive impact on improving healthy eating behaviours in their children, and have provided a range of observational and anecdotal reports to evidence this change.
- 71% of settings responding to the annual survey agreed that the PhunkyFoods Programme had made it easier for them to engage with parents and extended families around the healthy lifestyles agenda
- Parental reports of their child’s typical food and drink consumption were also collected at baseline and follow up, with small but positive improvements in key dietary behaviours observed as part of the evaluation follow up. The largest change seen was in parental reports of their child’s fruit and vegetable consumption, with parents reporting an overall increase of 1.5 extra eating occasions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of strategies to increase vegetable consumption in preschool children aged 2-5 years (2018)
Appetite. 2018 Aug 1;127:138-154.
Chandani Nekitsing¹, Pam Bllundell-Birtill¹, Jennie E Cockroft², Marion M. Hetherington¹
¹School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
²Purely Nutrition Ltd, Harrogate, HG1 1DL, UK
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Most children do not meet daily recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake, and consumption of vegetables remains especially low. Eating habits track from childhood to adulthood hence establishing liking and intake of vegetables is important.
OBJECTIVE: To identify the most successful strategies to enhance vegetable intake in preschool children aged 2-5 years.
DESIGN: The research was a systematic review and a meta-analysis of published studies. A comprehensive search strategy was performed using key databases such as Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, EBSCO and CENTRAL. Articles published between 2005-January 2016, specifically with measured vegetable consumption were included.
RESULTS: 30 articles and 44 intervention arms were identified for inclusion (n = 4017). Nine dominant intervention strategies emerged to promote vegetable intake in preschool children. These included; choice, pairing (stealth), education, food service, modelling, reward, taste exposure, variety and visual presentation. The meta-analysis revealed that interventions implementing repeated taste exposure had better pooled effects than those which did not. Intake increased with number of taste exposures and intake was greater when vegetables offered were in their plain form rather than paired with a flavor, dip or added energy (e.g. oil). Moreover, intake of vegetables which were unfamiliar/disliked increased more than those which were familiar/liked.
CONCLUSIONS: Repeated taste exposure is a simple technique that could be implemented in childcare settings and at home by parents. Health policy could specifically target the use of novel and disliked vegetables in childcare settings with emphasis on a minimum 8-10 exposures. The systematic review protocol was registered on the PROSPERO (number: CRD42016033984).
Feasibility Study - The Evaluation of the PhunkyFoods Programme (2014)
Meaghan Christian1, Pinki Sahota1, Rhiannon Day1, Kim Cocks2
1The Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Leeds Beckett University (formerly Leeds Metropolitan University) Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 3HE
2York Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, ARRC Building, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
Abstract
Purpose
Within schools there is a need for easily implemented interventions designed to promote healthy lifestyles through encouraging a healthier balanced diet and to increase children’s physical activity. The PhunkyFoods programme (PFP), underpinned by the whole school approach is a nutrition and physical activity education intervention aimed at improving health related knowledge and behaviours in children. This study aimed to assess: the feasibility, acceptability and delivery of the PFP intervention; appropriateness of outcomes and outcome measures; recruitment, and retention.
Methods
A cluster randomised feasibility trial consisting of eight primary schools (4 Intervention and 4 Control) in the North of England with a total of 311 pupils (175 boys; 183 girls’ aged 6-9 years old). The following validated tools used at baseline, 6 months and 18 months were; anthropometric measurement, a Healthy Lifestyle Knowledge Questionnaire (HLKQ), dietary intake and physical activity using the Synchronised Nutrition and Activity Program (SNAPTM), and psychological well-being to assess intervention effect of dieting behaviours; body image; self-perceptions.
Results/findings
At 6 months a total of 337 (94.1%) of the original pupils remained in the trial, and this decreased to 325 (90.8%) at 18 months. There was no difference between the two groups for total knowledge score, however, for Year 4 pupils there was a statistically significant, higher mean healthy balance score from the HLKQ (mean difference 5.1, 95%CI 0.1-10.1, p=0.05). The SNAP tool identified a possible trend towards Year 2 Intervention pupils consuming fewer fizzy drinks, chocolates, sweets, biscuits and cakes compared to Control group pupils. Year 4 Intervention pupils reported higher fruit consumption at 18 months compared to the Control pupils. However, a fully powered randomised controlled trial is needed to determine if these differences are statistically significant. There was no evidence that the intervention had any detrimental effect on the psychological well-being of the Intervention school pupils.
Conclusion
The results support the future implementation of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the PFP. Overall teachers found PFP to be a highly acceptable programme for teaching children about nutrition and physical activity which could possibly help tackle poor nutrition and sedentary behaviour in children.
Presented as an oral presentation at the ASO UK Congress on Obesity, Sept 2015, Glasgow. Published in the conference proceedings.
Evaluation of the PhunkyFoods Programme (2008)
Independent research conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) found that;
- Evidence from pupils, staff and parents/carers was clear; there were large and positive changes in attitudes, awareness and behaviouraround healthy eating and physical activity.
- Teachers and parents reported increased awareness and knowledge of healthy eating and physical activity.
- There was evidence that where the PFP was delivered regularly, whether through the curriculum, in PPA time or in after-schools clubs, there was more likely to be a positive impact on pupils’ knowledge and awareness of health messages.
- Most pupils reported eating more healthily and doing more physical activity after taking part in the PFP.
- Staff, parents and pupils all reported that children ‘LOVED’ the PFP.
The study concluded:
"Popular with the whole school community, PFP clearly helps expand, embed and enhance health-related teaching, through increasing school staff competence and confidence, complementing other initiatives and positively impacting on pupils knowledge, attitudes and behaviour."
Assessment of shared characteristics of PhunkyFoods schools that run extra-curricular outreach programmes in the UK
This qualitative study was carried out by Daniel McAlpine (Advanced Nutrition MSc, Leeds Metropolitan University). The study aimed to identify the characteristics of schools that chose to implement community healthy lifestyles outreach programmes, and to determine barriers to successful implementation. Five core themes emerged from the data when looking at the characteristics of schools implementing surccesful community programmes. These are detailed below;
- Parental Involvement - 63% of schools found that increased parental involvement was key to running a successful programme, increased parental involvement eased staffing issues and reinforced messages at home
- Community Links - Increased community links can help overcome staffing, resources, financial barriers, and is a major facilitator found in successful schools
- Key Drivers - Schools champions and effort were seen as key drivers to success. As a dedicated, passionate teacher can link all four of the other themes together
- Staff to Children Ratio - 36% respondents reported this as the main barrier to success. It can be overcome through community links and parental involvement
- Design Feedback - 40% described a good feedback loop from design through to evaluation as beneficial when tailoring sessions to vulnerable communities. Involving parents and children in the design phase instilled the relevance and importance of the project.
The study concluded that these themes should not be seen as separate isolated characteristics, but rather an interlinking process, that do not in themselves cause success, but rather facilitate the easy implementation of successful programmes.
