Which? slams Walkers Books for Schools promo

The Free Books for Schools promotion jointly run by Walkers Crisps and News International, has come under fire from the consumer watchdog Which?, for giving only “modest” returns and encouraging unhealthy eating.

The promotion, which was launched in 1998 by the then Education Secretary David Blunkett, offers schools the chance to collect tokens that appear in News International newspapers and on Walkers crisp and snack packets. The tokens can then be exchanged for books. Initially more than 16,000 schools registered their interest in taking part.

In a report due to be published later this week, Which? claims that the scheme is a “clear encouragement to children to engage in an unhealthy activity by eating more crisps.”

In the same report, the watchdog also criticises Tesco’s Computers for School scheme. Which? claims that almost a quarter of a million pounds worth of shopping would need to be done to get a PC worth about £1,000. Which? says the Walkers/NI scheme is better value for money, but adds that returns are still modest.

Walkers refused to comment, but a News International spokeswoman says: “The end result is that schools get books free, which they otherwise would not have done.”

Commenting on its own scheme, a Tesco spokesman adds: “It is an opt-in scheme, it is up to customers if they take advantage of it. So to say that you have to spend a quarter of a million pounds to buy one computer seems a strange argument.