Free fruit and veg at primary schools next year

THE AGRICULTURE and Education Ministries are set to deliver free fruit and vegetables to primary school pupils in Cyprus.

The programme, which will be enforced in the coming school year, will run throughout the EU under a scheme to tackle childhood obesity and promote healthy eating.

“The aim is teach children about healthy dietary habits so they learn how to eat properly. Under this programme, fresh fruit and vegetables will be delivered to the schools twice a week,” explained Sandri Taliadorou, Ministry of Education officer.

The programme will be launched on a pilot basis in the 2009-2010 academic year in schools throughout the Paphos and Larnaca districts.

“We plan this programme to continue for at least five years, but as this is the first time this endeavour is being undertaken in Cyprus, we chose to try it on a pilot basis in schools from these two districts and then adopt it on a national level on the following year,” explained Stalo Costandinou, Agriculture Ministry officer.

As part of the plan, primary school children will receive individual packages containing seasonal fruit and vegetables during break time twice a week.

The Department of Agriculture has selected a number of fruit and vegetables for this purpose including apples, oranges, bananas, mandarins, cucumber and carrots.

The scheme will be co-funded by the EU and the state on a 50-50 basis, with each dishing out €175,000. The scheme will run concurrently in all EU-member states except Finland, Latvia and Sweden, who have decided to opt out. The EU will provide a total of €90 million as part of the programme.

The programme’s general aim is to halt the alarming phenomenon of childhood obesity that is growing in EU countries. An estimated 22 million children in the EU are overweight, five million of whom are obese.

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