The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament has started debating the draft Regulation submitted by the Commission to amend the programmes for the distribution of fruits, vegetables, banana and milk in schools. The goal is to bring these all together under a common legal and financial framework.
At the meeting of the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, which took place last week, there was a first exchange of views on this project, with the discussion focusing on the products to be included in the proposed regulation. Although only fruit, vegetables and milk were to be included in the Regulation, in subsequent discussions the Member States proposed to increase the list of products to be distributed in schools, including dairy products, processed fruits, juices or even olive oil, as proposed by Spain back in February.
The Agriculture Committee will have to issue a report on the draft Regulation. The rapporteur, the Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella, plans to present it in mid-December, and would be approved by the Parliament in February or March 2015.
The budget, as proposed in the new Regulation, would be of 150 million Euro per year, of which 80 million would be allocated to milk.
For FEPEX, fruits and vegetables are the healthiest part of any diet and, therefore, it is important for both consumers and producers to continue promoting their consumption. This ensures a positive impact on health, which consequently also has a long-term impact on health spending.