Schoolchildren could be given free fruit and vegetables to fight obesity, if the go-ahead is given to a scheme proposed by the European Commission.
The school fruit scheme aims to encourage good eating habits in young people, which studies show tend to be carried on into later life.
The scheme would be paid for with EU funds of €90m per year and this would be matched by national funds in the countries which decide to take part in the programme.
An estimated 22m children in the EU are overweight.
More than 5m of these are obese and this figure is expected to rise by 400,000 every year.
Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said that giving children good habits at an early age is crucial and that too many children eat far too little fruit and vegetables.
She said you only have to walk down any high-street in Europe to see the extent of the problems of overweight children.
The World Health Organisation recommends a daily net intake of 400g of fruit and vegetables per person. The majority of Europeans fail to meet this target and the downward trend is particularly evident among the young.
Research has also shown that families with a lower level of income tend to consume less fruit and vegetables.
As such, the free fruit and vegetables at school of these healthy products can make a real difference, particularly in underprivileged areas.
