£655k 'Cooking Bus' to be sold off, Welsh ministers confirm
A "Cooking Bus" to educate children in Wales about eating - which experts said was unlikely to bring any health benefits - will be sold off.
Doubts were raised about the project - which cost £655,000 to run in 2012-13 - in a report published two years ago. The converted articulated lorry's four kitchens were used to give primary school pupils food preparation, cooking skills and food hygiene lessons. Ministers said it had reached the end of its expected operational life. A 2013 Public Health Wales report found "a lack of evidence of effectiveness" about the scheme, launched in 2006. Confirming Health Minister Mark Drakeford had agreed to the sale of the bus, a government spokesman said Public Health Wales had recommended "potential disinvestment" and advised that other options were considered to ensure "effective reach, outcomes and value for money". "Local healthy school teams are providing cooking skills and food hygiene training by other means", the spokesman added.