Cranberries with everything

Millions of jars of cranberry sauce are set for school canteens

Cranberry sauce is to become a familiar sight on school dinner tables in the United States.

In an attempt to support cranberry growers facing falling prices during a glut, the US government has intervened by buying huge quantities of the fruit for school meals.

Instead of being known as a once-a-year Thanksgiving Day sauce, cranberries are going to be a regular fixture - with 5.5 million pounds of the sauce designated for school use.

And if pupils begin to suffer from cranberry fatigue, any left over sauce will be passed on to schemes providing food for the poor or homeless.

"What we're hoping to do is to work with schools to introduce students to the idea of cranberry sauce, as not merely a seasonal treat around the holidays, but as a year-around source of nutrients,'' said a spokesman for the US agriculture department.

The cranberry, which is predominantly grown in northern states such as Massachussetts, New Jersey and Orgeon, is the latest fruit to be seeking to carve out a place in the substantial school meals market.

Prunes, mostly grown in California, have been promoted in the US and in the United Kingdom as a healthier substitute for fat in beefburgers or pastry made for school canteens.