Slimmed down school fruit scheme starts tomorrow

A new EU school fruit and vegetable smaller will start being rolled-out tomorrow in all kindergarten and primary schools in Malta.

However, the scheme will be much smaller than originally planned as its original €1.2 million budget has been slashed to €300,000 as part of a financial cutback programme to rein in the deficit.

Admitting that the scheme had to be revised due to lack of funds, a spokesman for the Resources Ministry, responsible for the implementation of this scheme, yesterday told The Sunday Times that all primary school students would get to enjoy a weekly portion of fresh fruit and vegetables. Most of the funds dedicated to this scheme will come out of the EU coffers, while Malta will contribute 25 per cent of the costs during the first scholastic year.

As from the 2010-2011 scholastic year, the local budget will be increased but the scheme will still be implemented on a weekly basis.

The scheme was meant to be up and running from last September, the start of the scholastic year.

However, following cost cutting measures in order to reduce government spending, the scheme was among the first to be sidelined and its budget was reduced drastically.

"Instead of a daily portion of fruit and vegetables, the money available will now allow for just one portion per week for every student. The lack of funds has also constrained the government to postpone the introduction of this scheme by three months," a source in the Education Ministry said.

The introduction of a new EU School Fruit Scheme was agreed at EU level in November 2008 following an EU Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels.

In view of the high obesity rate among children, Malta was one of the main supporters of the introduction of this scheme and was planning to go further than the weekly basis allotment as the original scheme envisaged.

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino had said the government had "decided to invest €1.2 million of the 2009 budget into this scheme to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to our young students on a daily basis and not once a week as the original EU proposal suggests."

However, the scheme had to be scaled down.

According to the ministry, the funds available this year will amount to €300,000, of which €226,084 will come from the EU's coffers, while €400,000 has been earmarked for next year's scheme with the EU supplying €175,000.