Freshfel Europe has applauded proposed changes to the School Fruit Scheme (SFS), which have been introduced as part of a wider set of legal proposals revealed by the European Commission (EC) to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period after 2013.
Changes to the SFS proposed by the EC include increasing its budget from €90m to €150m, an increase in the percentage taken by the Commission to 75/90 per cent from the existing level of 50/70 per cent, and an inclusion of the co-financing to cover the accompanying measures in member states.
'Freshfel is pleased with these changes that will allow for more programmes to be adopted in the member states, with more children benefiting from this scheme and the possibility of building healthy eating habits, discovering the great variety and taste of fresh fruit and vegetables,' said Philippe Binard, general delegate at Freshfel Europe.
With the proposed improvements to the scheme, Freshfel said that it hoped some of the weaknesses of the scheme as it previously stood would be overcome, with a greater budget and a wider coverage of co-financing by the EC making SFS 'more attractive to implement at national level'.
Further emphasis on communication will also help raise awareness and interest on the scheme by schools and parents across Europe, the association noted.
'Together with these welcome changes, other challenges still remain but are within reach in the future of the scheme,' Freshfel said. 'Notably, the Commission's SFS dedicated website could benefit from further improvements to become a source of information about fresh produce, while serving as a networking platform for all parties interested in the programme.
'Reinforced networking between member states, the sector and other stakeholders is also necessary, to, for example, better involve the various segments of the fresh produce sector, that would help ease some of the logistic challenges to reach out schools across the EU territory and would also facilitate the distribution of a wide range of diversified fresh fruit and vegetables to children,' Freshfel added.
