The fresh produce and dairy industries could be joined in a new public health campaign, under new proposals put forward by the European Commission (EC).
The School Fruit Scheme and the School Milk Scheme currently operate separately across Europe and benefit almost 30 million children in total.
With the slogan ‘Eat well – feel good’, the new framework would legally and financially join the two schemes with the aim of improving and streamlining the administration.
This would reduce the organisational burden for national authorities, schools and suppliers who run the schemes in order to address poor nutrition more efficiently.
Participation in the new joint scheme will be voluntary for member states, which will also have flexibility over what products they wish to distribute.
The EC said the proposal is against a background of falling consumption for milk and fruit in children. It aims to combat obesity and reinforce the educational elements of both programmes.
Commissioner for agriculture and rural development, Dacian Cioloş, said the proposed changes aim to reverse the downward trend in consumption and build on existing schemes.
He said: “This is an important measure for bringing about sustained changes in children’s eating habits and improving awareness of important challenges that society faces.
“I also hope that is will be a great opportunity to strengthen links between the farming community and children, their parents and teachers, especially in urban areas.”
If passed, the scheme will have a budget of €230million per school year, with a breakdown of €150m for fruit and vegetables and €80m for milk.
This compares with a budget of €197m (€122m and €75m respectively) in the initial 2014 plans. The proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament.
The School Milk Scheme was set up in 1977 and the School Fruit Scheme, which distributes fresh produce to schoolchildren as well as funds farms visits and cooking sessions, was established in 2009.
In 2010 the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that around a third of children between the ages of six and nine in the EU are overweight or obese. This was a rapid increase from 2008 when the figure was a quarter.
