Free EU School Fruit Scheme starts

Free fruit for students: EU school fruit program starts in Stuttgart

The European Union (EU) has the so-called „School Fruit Scheme“ started. The aim is to stimulate the consumption of fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables in younger people. In Baden-Württemberg, the program could reach as many as 400,000 children.Baden- Württemberg has so far been the first and only federal state in Germany to participate in the school fruit program. Problems are probably in the eyes of other federal states too high a level of administrative burden and low financial resources.

The program will cost a total of 5 million euros. The EU is providing 2.5 million euros for the program. However, the other half did not want to co-finance the state of Baden-Württemberg, which is why school sponsors, parents' associations and sponsors must help out here. The Wilhelmsschule in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim will be the first to benefit from free fruit. Critics complain that the effort for the program in no relation to the benefit. However, it is not clear how and who calculates the benefits.

It is generally believed that obesity, diabetes, dental disease, etc ... is due to an increased intake of sugary ready-made foods. Especially in the case of younger generations, there should be a preventive rethinking by offering fresh food. People who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are less likely to be affected by cancer and cardiovascular diseases. One reason for this is the phytochemicals, which have multiple effects in our body.

The Federal Consumer Minister Ilse Aigner (CSU) recently demanded to place fruit at supermarket cashiers instead of sweets. Their claim was substantiated by figures that the proportion of obese and overweight children living in Germany was very high at around 15 to 18 percent (between the ages of 7 and 17). (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 23.02.2010)

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