Children across the EU should soon get the benefit of better-funded school milk, fruit and vegetable schemes, along with better education on healthy eating, after a new draft law gain EU Parliament approval this week.
The draft, which was provisionally agreed with EU ministers in December 2015, will merge the separate EU school milk and fruit schemes and boost their combined annual budget by €20m to €250 million a year - assuming it gains Council approval.
'A healthy, balanced diet is the foundation of good health, but the consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk has been declining across the EU,' said MEP Marc Tarabella. 'This is why it is of the utmost importance to strengthen the school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme by increasing its budget and making it more focused on healthy-eating education.
'Parliament also ensured the programme’s financial stability, by preventing member states from cutting its budget unilaterally or changing the criteria for allocating EU funds among themselves,' he added.
Member states signing up for the voluntary aid scheme will have to promote more healthy eating habits, local food, organic farming and the fight against food waste, the European Parliament confirmed, while ensuring that children reconnect with agriculture through farm visits.
Parliament won an additional €20m a year to fund the distribution of milk products and educational measures, bringing the annual funding for milk up to €100m, and €150m for fruit and vegetables.
