School fruit and vegetable program

The school fruit and vegetable program is a health care program adopted by the European Commission in 2009 . The aim of this program is to change the eating habits of children at an early age towards a more conscious diet. The aim is to counteract the inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables in children and sustainably increase the proportion of fruit and vegetables in their diet. The foundation stone for healthy eating should be laid as early as kindergarten and primary school age.

decision

An estimated 22 million children in the EU are overweight and 5.1 million of them are obese . The EU Commission assumes that increased consumption of fruit and vegetables plays an important role in the fight against obesity, as it reduces the energy density of food. In addition, fruits and vegetables are important factors in preventing cardiovascular diseases , cancer and diabetes .

In November 2008, the Council of Agriculture Ministers agreed on the Commission's proposal for a Europe-wide program for the distribution of fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetables and banana products as part of school meals . The program began with the 2009/2010 school year and provides for national and EU funding .

implementation

Across Europe, 25 of the 27 member countries are currently taking part.

In Germany , the national implementation of the program is essentially regulated by the Agricultural Products School Program Act of December 13, 2016. This replaces the School Fruit Act of September 24, 2009. Many countries initially rejected the program on the grounds that the administrative costs were too high. The state of Bremen , motivated by the EU program, launched its own “school fruit model project”.

In Austria there is the program with the School Fruit Ordinance of October 11, 2010, which was enacted on the basis of the Market Regulation Act 2007 and was last revised in 2015.