The national allocations of the €150m of EU funds dedicated to the School Fruit Scheme in 2015/16 have been voted through the Management Committee today (17 March).
With a potential outreach of 12m children across 25 Member States, the EU funds will be supplemented by national or private co-funding worth roughly €32m.
Established in 2009, the scheme is aimed at reversing the trend of declining fruit and vegetable consumption by specifically addressing children.
In turn, higher fruit and vegetables consumption is also supports efforts to establish healthier eating habits amongst school children. Nutrition plays an important role in combating health problems related to poor nutrition, such as child obesity, the European Commission outlined.
Since 2014, the scheme also supports accompanying educational measures to explain the potential benefits.
As in previous years, 25 Member States have decided to participate in the programme - with Sweden, Finland and the UK opting out.
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