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Can the EU school programme contribute to a healthier diet for children?

The EU school programme promotes the daily provision of fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy products in public kindergartens and schools. This is often accompanied by corresponding teaching units and practical activities. The aim of the EU school programme is to increase children's acceptance of the food promoted and to raise their awareness of topics such as a healthy, varied diet, food waste and regional or organic food production.

EU citizens, companies, NGOs and government institutions in the EU member states were able to express their opinions and views on the EU schools programme as part of public consultations and the Eurobarometer.

A key finding is that while the EU school programme can make a limited contribution to healthier diets for children, it is particularly important for children with limited access to healthy food. Despite the numerous bureaucratic hurdles, the EU member states consider the programme to be valuable and worth implementing.

Further results of the online surveys on the EU school programme from 2017 to 2022 have now been published and can be found here.

Contact at the IfLS: Victoria Wende(wende[at]ifls.de), Simone Sterly (sterly[at]ifls.de)