EU agricultural ministers have backed a scheme aimed at combating child obesity by offering schoolchildren in the European Union free fruit and vegetables.
The proposal sees €90m earmarked for investment in the project by the European Commission, with each EU country matching that total – although participation in the scheme is voluntary.
Many countries such as Denmark wanted to see more money allocated to the scheme, although others, including the UK and the Netherlands, championed the benefits of additional nationally funded plans, officials told Reuters.
'This will help reverse the decline in the consumption of fruit and vegetables and contribute to fighting the problem of child obesity, which can be described as an epidemic,' EU agriculture minister Mariann Fischer Boel told farm ministers.
Another key point was the origin of the produce to be used in the scheme, with the majority of nations calling for all produce to be EU sourced. 'There was a general consensus that this should be sourced from EU production,' an official said. 'In the north of Europe, fruit and vegetable production is seasonal so there would probably be a preference for southern European products.'
The deal could be agreed by ministers in November, and would apply from the 2009/10 school year.
