The EU has given the green light for a new program to subsidise the cost of school meals and the purchase of local fruit and vegetables in order to guarantee a full and healthy nutrition.
Organic products will be covered with subsidies amounting to 75% of the cost, while those of conventional ones will amount to 65%. Each Member State alone will assess which products will be covered by subsidies based on the principles of local production, seasonality, diversity or accessibility. The ultimate goal is also to support sustainable agriculture.
Finland was the first country in the world to offer free school lunches. It has done so since 1943. Until now, the EU subsidised only dairy products. School lunches are now expected to become much more balanced and diverse.
The new scheme also has an educational element to allow children to become familiar with farming, organic production, food waste, and so on.
The program budget is € 250 million for the school year 2017-18, of which 150 million is intended for fruit and vegetables and 100 million for dairy products and education.
For its part, Bulgaria will allocate 2,677,109 Euro for fruit and vegetables and 1,167,367 Euro for dairy products.
Source: bacchus.bg
