Soares, P.; Comino, I.; Martínez-Milán, M.A.; Davó-Blanes, M.C.; Altavilla, C.; Caballero, P. Implementation of the European School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme in Spain (2009–2017). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2019, 16, 3898.
Soares, P.; Comino, I.; Martínez-Milán, M.A.; Davó-Blanes, M.C.; Altavilla, C.; Caballero, P. Implementation of the European School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme in Spain (2009–2017). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3898.
Soares, P.; Comino, I.; Martínez-Milán, M.A.; Davó-Blanes, M.C.; Altavilla, C.; Caballero, P. Implementation of the European School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme in Spain (2009–2017). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2019, 16, 3898.
Soares, P.; Comino, I.; Martínez-Milán, M.A.; Davó-Blanes, M.C.; Altavilla, C.; Caballero, P. Implementation of the European School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme in Spain (2009–2017). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3898.
Abstract
The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme (SFVS) implemented by the European Union during 2009/10 aims to improve the diet of school children and to support agricultural markets and environmental sustainability. The objective of this study was to characterize the SFVS implementation in Spain (2009-2017). A descriptive, longitudinal, observational and retrospective study was carried out based on document analysis of annual strategies of the SFVS. We studied the average budget for the EU, the number of students enrolled, the cost of the SFVS by student and by day, the duration of the SFVS, the quantity of fruits and vegetables (FV) per student, the variety of FV, the inclusion of local, seasonal and organic foods, and the education activities (EA). The results were studied by autonomous community (AC). The budget increased from 7.4 million euros in 2009/10 to 14.4 in 2016/17. Since 2014/15, the increase came from EU funds, the number of students increased from 18% in 2009 to 20% in 2016. The quantity of FV went from 2,579 to 4,000 tons, duration increased from 9.8 to 19.6 days and the variety of fruits and vegetables increased from 20 to 21 and from 5 to 6 respectively. In AC there were important variations in EA, in the number of enrolled students (7.4% to 45.6%), in the cost per student (2.3€ to 28€) and in the duration in days (5.6 to 70 days). The inclusion of local, seasonal and organic foods was identified in 5 of the 8 years studied. The development and reach of the SFVS in Spain is still insufficient to influence dietary patterns and health in the school population. However, the SFVS has generated an economic market for agricultural production.
Keywords
child; fruit; vegetables; school health services; public policy; environment and public health
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Food Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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