On Tuesday 31 March, the European Commission published the budget for the EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme 2020-2021: 145 million euros for fruit and vegetables and 105 million euros for milk and milk products. National funds can also be used to supplement the EU budget.
The Commission also adopted a report taking stock of the 2018-2019 scheme, which has enabled more than 20 million children across the EU to receive milk, fruit and vegetables at school.
“We have taken measures to make sure that this year’s scheme takes into account that schools had to close across Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic”, said Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski.
The Commission specified that the COVID-19 crisis could be recognised as a ‘force majeure’ reason. This allows EU countries to reimburse suppliers of perishable goods (fruit, vegetables and dairy products) that were intended for distribution to schools participating in the scheme. Products can also be donated to hospitals, charities, food banks or other similar organizations to help those in need.
Link to the 2018/19 report: https://bit.ly/3axAhIo (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)