The EU Member States offering fruit and vegetables to their students will consequently receive a total of 150 million Euro in the fiscal year 2014/15, as reported by the Austrian 'Agrarisches Information Centre' on its website. This is a significant increase compared to the previous year, when 90 million was granted.
The largest recipient of funds from the EU School Fruit Programme is Italy with almost 30 million, followed by Germany with approximately 23 million, Poland with 20 million and France with 15 million. Sweden, Finland and the United Kingdom do not take part in the programme.
Offering cheap or free fruit in schools should encourage students to adopt healthier eating habits. Thus, the EU programme could help tackle child obesity.