At the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, the EU's programme to promote the consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk in schools will resume in participating countries, the European Commission announced on Monday 2 September.
At the end of March, the Commission adopted national budget allocations for EU programmes to support the consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk in schools in 2019/2020 (see EUROPE 12223/27).
A total of €145 million will be allocated for the distribution of fruit and vegetables to schoolchildren in 2019 and 2020 (€24.8 million for Germany, €20.8 million for Italy, €17.9 million for France and €16.4 million for Spain) and €105 million for the distribution of milk and dairy products (€17.1 million for France, €11 million for Poland, €10.8 million for Romania and the same for Germany).
More than 20 million children benefited from this programme during the 2017-2018 school year, representing 20% of children in the EU.
Member States can decide on the way to implement the scheme. This includes the type of products that children will receive or the theme of the educational measures put in place. However, the choice of products distributed needs to be based on health and environmental considerations, seasonality, availability and variety. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)