Close Menu
    Latest Category
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • EU Law
    • Energy
    • About
    • Contact
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Login
    • EU News
    • Focus
    • Guides
    • Press
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Directory
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Home » EU School Fruit Scheme – briefing

    EU School Fruit Scheme – briefing

    eub2By eub219 November 2008 Food & Drink in the EU No Comments4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    — last modified 19 November 2008

    The European Union’s Agriculture Council on 19 November reached political agreement on a European Commission proposal for a European Union-wide scheme to provide fruit and vegetables to school children.


    Advertisement


    European funds worth €90 million every year will pay for the purchase and distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables to schools.

    This money will be matched by national and private funds in those Member States which chose to make use of the programme.

    The School Fruit Scheme aims to encourage good eating habits in young people, which studies show tend to be carried on into later life. Besides providing fruit and vegetables to a target group of schoolchildren, the scheme will require participating Member States to set up strategies including educational and awareness-raising initiatives and the sharing of best practice.

    An estimated 22 million children in the EU are overweight. More than 5 million these are obese and this figure is expected to rise by 400,000 every year. Improved nutrition can play an important part in combating this problem.

    The scheme will begin at the start of the 2009/2010 school year.

    The proposal for a School Fruit Scheme follows an undertaking made during the negotiations on the reform of the Common Market Organisation for fruit and vegetables in June 2007. Since then, the Commission has engaged in a wide-ranging public consultation and an in-depth impact assessment of different options.

    Experts agree that a healthy diet can play an integral role in reducing obesity rates, and cutting the risk of serious health problems – such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes 2 – in later life. Key to this is the consumption of sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables. The World Health Organisation recommends a daily net intake of 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per person. The majority of Europeans fail to meet this target and the downward trend is particularly evident among the young.

    Studies show that healthy eating habits are formed in childhood. People who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables in childhood remain good consumers. Those who eat little tend not to change their ways and also pass on their habits to their own children. Research has also shown that families with a lower level of income tend to consume less fruit and vegetables. As such, the free provision in schools of these healthy products can make a real difference, particularly in underprivileged areas.

    Commission analysis of existing national policies and consultations with experts have demonstrated that the benefits of the school scheme can be enhanced if the provision of fruit is accompanied by awareness-raising and educational measures to teach children the importance of good eating habits. Encouragement will also be given to networking between different national authorities which run successful school fruit schemes. These already exist in some EU countries, and take many different forms. But there is much more that can be done and this EU scheme provides a perfect basis to get new programmes off the ground. The Commission is putting on the table €90 million per year for the provision of fruit and vegetables in schools. Governments would have the choice of whether to participate or not. The programmes would be co-financed, either on a 50/50 basis, or 75/25 in the so-called ‘convergence regions’, where GDP/capita is lower. This money could not be used to replace existing national financing, but would encourage additional activities, be it linked to existing programmes or creating completely new initiatives. And Member States could of course add extra money if they wanted to.

    National authorities would have to draw up a national strategy in conjunction with public health and education authorities, also involving the industry and interest groups, tailored of course to national preferences. The programmes would begin at the start of the 2009/2010 school year.

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    eub2
    • Website

    eub2 is the default publisher for EUbusiness.

    Related Content

    Farming field of wheat Ukraine - Photo by Marina Yalanska on Unsplash

    Agri-food vision: A good start but mind the gaps!

    Sponsor: EuroCommerce20 February 2025
    Wine and cheese still life - Image by Christiane from Pixabay

    Geographical Indications in the EU

    Food shop - Photo by Philippe F. on Pexels

    EU allocates EUR 132m to promote sustainable, high-quality agri-food products

    Fishing boat - Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

    EU finds agreement on fish quotas for 2025

    Green light for improved EU rules to protect against plant pests

    Food waste - Image by Ralph from Pixabay

    132 kg of food waste per EU inhabitant in 2022

    LATEST EU NEWS
    Accessibility - Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels

    EU accessibility act into force for key digital products

    30 June 2025
    Christophe Hansen - Photo © European Union 2025

    EU agrees new trade deal with Ukraine

    30 June 2025
    Space satellites - Photo by Kevin Stadnyk on Unsplash

    EU cuts red tape in space

    30 June 2025
    Euro - ECB-Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

    Glimmer of risk appetite post UK-US trade deals – Euro currency news daily

    30 June 2025
    Repair faulty goods - Image by Militiamobiles from Pixabay

    Cross-border disputes to be made easier under new EU alternative dispute resolution rules

    26 June 2025

    Subscribe to EUbusiness Week

    Get the latest EU news

    CONTACT INFO

    • EUbusiness Ltd 117 High Street, Chesham Buckinghamshire, HP5 1DE United Kingdom
    • +44(0)20 8058 8232
    • service@eubusiness.com

    INFORMATION

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Info

    Services

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • EU News

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Facebook
    eubusiness.com © EUbusiness Ltd 2025

    Design and developed by : 

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?