At the start of the next school term, children in 24 of the 27 countries of the European Union will be provided with free fruit and vegetables. €90 million of EU money will be provided each year for the scheme, which will be matched by funding by the government and private sectors in the individual countries – all apart from Finland, Latvia and Sweden are now to take part to the scheme. The EU’s Agriculture Commissioner, Mariann Fischer Boel, said in a statement that she is ‘delighted that so many member states have decided to make use of this excellent scheme’. The other three countries are free to opt in for following years.
First announced in 2008, the School Fruit Scheme will encourage healthy eating habits in young people (which studies show tend to lead to healthier eating in later life), and participating countries must also set up health strategies including educational and awareness-raising initiatives and sharing best practice.
Around 22 million children in the EU are overweight, with 5 million obese – and this is rising by 400,000 a year.
Source: Reuters, 16 June 2009.