EU to boost milk, fruit and vegetables in school diets

The European Commission said on Tuesday that the European Union's (EU) new school fruit and vegetables scheme and the school milk scheme would be in place from Aug. 1, 2017.

The Commission said these schemes aim at promoting healthy eating habits among children and will not only include the distribution of fruit, vegetables and milk products, but also include dedicated educational programs to teach pupils about the importance of good nutrition and to explain how food is produced.

According to the statement, though the participation into the schemes is optional, all 28 EU member states have indicated that they would take part in the initiative in the 2017-18 school year.

Fresh fruit, vegetables and drinking milk will be given as a priority to school children, said the Commission, and processed products such as soup, fruit compotes, juice, yoghurts and cheese may also be distributed if this choice is approved by national health authorities.

Moreover, no added sugar, salt and fat are allowed unless the national health authorities permit limited quantities, said the statement.

Currently, 24 EU member states will take part in the fruit and vegetable scheme and 28 in the milk scheme. Last year, around 20 million children benefited from the milk scheme and around 11.7 million children from the fruit and vegetables scheme.