1. SCHOOL SCHEME - introduction and background -
Technical Assistance for Development of a Strategy for Alignment with
Common Market Organisation (CMO) Requirements
TR2014/AG/10-A1-01/001
This Project is co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey
SCHOOL SCHEME - introduction and background -
Ankara, 25th of June, 2018

2. School scheme
Background

3. School scheme
EU School scheme has been implemented from 2017/2018 school year as a continuation of former EU: School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and School Milk Scheme benefiting from gained experiences and the best practices

4. School scheme at a glance
Exceptional CAP scheme - focused on children, promoting healthy diet
Aimed at:
increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables and milk products among children
preventing obesity and diet-related diseases
restoring link to agriculture
Multi-sectoral cooperation: involving agriculture, public health and education sectors

5. School scheme - addressed to fight different issues:
Increasing number of children suffering from overweight, obesity and diet-related diseases
Decreasing consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk products in EU (below levels recommended by experts)
Why it is so important to intervene among children?
Dietary habits created in a childhood usually last for the whole adult life

6. Multi-sectoral cooperation
EU law
National law
National Strategy
Multi-sectoral cooperation:
agriculture, education and public health

7. Multi-sectoral cooperation
Multi-sectoral cooperation and consultations with other sectors are necessary at preparatory and implementation stages!
education sector (choosing of target group of children, the most convenient way of distribution, accompanying measures…)
public health (selection of products, target group …)
and also:
producers/distributors
parents

8. Lessons learned from former school schemes
Educational activities: Provisions of products is not enough to change children eating habits – educational activities are the key to success
Flexibility: Different Member States = different needs and local circumstances
Make it as easy as possible for schools and attractive for children:
Products free of charge
Selection of products easy for storage and transport vs healt benefits (for example pasteurised milk vs uht milk)
Simple procedures
Diversity of products

9. LegislatIVE framework
School scheme
LegislatIVE framework

10. Flexibility: the general approach is Member State decides
EC sets general rules for the scheme, common for each Member States
Nevertheless each Member State has a lot of flexibility in designing the scheme and having in mind local circumstances decides on its own on scheme key elements as:
products
beneficiaries
aid applicants
way of implementation
In each Member State School scheme is different!

11. Legislative framework
EU regulation:
Horizontal general rules for all Member States (Reg. (EU) 2016/795, Reg. (EU), Reg. 2017/39, Reg. 2017/39)
National Strategy:
Member State wishing to participate in the scheme should prepare National Strategy covering six school years, determining problems, priorities, objectives, main rules and assumptions (target group, products distributed, national top up etc.)
National law:
Deliveries of product – issued by Minister of Agriculture
Educational measures – issued by Minister of National Education

12. MAIN RULES AT THE EU LEVEL
School scheme
MAIN RULES AT THE EU LEVEL

13. Scope of the scheme
Deliveries of fruit, vegetables and milk products to children in educational establishments
Accompanying educational measures on healthy diet, agriculture etc.
Promotional activities
Evaluation and monitoring

14. Fresh and not processed products are the priority
Eligible products
List of distributed products is set by Member State in National Strategy
National authorities responsible for health and nutrition must be involved in selection of products
Important:
Fresh and not processed products are the priority

15. Eligible products Children may receive in regular distribution:
As a priority
fresh fruit and vegetables and/or
drinking plain milk including lactose-free versions
As a supplementing products – processed products without additives
to promote the consumption of specific products and/or to respond to particular nutritional needs of children:
From fruit and vegetables (for example juices)
From milk: cheese, curd, yoghurt and other fermented or acidified milk products without added flavouring, fruit, nuts or cocoa

16. Eligible products
Additionally if it is necessary for the attainment of the objectives of the school scheme and the goals stated in the Strategy – processed, fermented or not, milk products with additives (cocoa, with fruit juice, naturally flavoured or non-flavoured)
Category I (milk component shall not be lower than 90% by weight)
Category II (milk component shall not be lower than 75% by weight)
EU aid shall be paid only for the milk component of this processed products

17. Products distributed
Products distributed under the school scheme shall not contain added:
sugars
salt
fat
sweeteners
artificial flavour enhancers E 620 to E as defined in Reg. No 1333/2008
MS’s health authorities may decide that products may contain limited quantities of added sugar, added salt and/or added fat

18. Accompanying educational measures
Key element of the scheme next to the provisions of fruit/vegetables/milk
The aim is to increase the effectiveness of the scheme, improve children’s eating habits and restore link with the agriculture
May include occasional distribution of different products (also honey, olives etc.)
Financed from scheme’s budget (max. 15%)

19. School scheme
Budgetary framework

20. Scope of the financing
Two separated budgets for financing milk component and fruit and vegetables component of the scheme
EU financing covers:
Provision of fruit, vegetables and milk to children
Educational measures (max. 15% of the scheme’s budget)
Related costs (max. 10% of the scheme’s budget), including:
promotion
monitoring and evaluation of the scheme

21. Budget in the EU Total budget of the scheme is 250 mln EUR, of which:
Fruit and vegetables: 150 mln EUR
Milk: 100 mln EUR
There is no obligatory co-financing from national budget but there is possibility for national top-up (contribution of the sectors, financing from national budget etc.)

22. Budget in the EU
Member State apply every year for allocation of budgets for given school year (until 31 January)
Every Member States has guaranteed budget – initial allocations - but can apply for more or less
Initial allocation for Poland is:
Fruit and Vegetables: 11,640 mln EUR
Milk: 10,204 mln EUR

23. Initial allocations for fruit and vegetables 150 mln EUR

24. Initial allocations for milk 100 mln EUR

25. Budget
Initial allocations have been calculated taking into account following criteria:
Number of children at the age from 6 to 10 in Member State
Level of development of certain regions
Additionally for milk component following criteria is applied:
Historical use of the budget in School Milk Scheme in last three school years
Compliance with this criteria will be verified by European Commission in every three years

26. School scheme
National Strategy

27. National strategy
Each Member State prepares National Strategy covering six school years period
Strategy defines long term objectives, scope of the scheme, target group, products distributed, delivery system, accompanying measures, etc.
When designing the Strategy following issues and factors should be taken into account:
current situation and identified needs
local environment (dietary patterns, educational system, products etc.)
previous experiences and evaluation of schemes implemented so far

28. Evaluation - why we need it?
School scheme
Evaluation - why we need it?

29. Evaluation – way for improvement
It is a very useful tool to assess the effectiveness of the scheme, based on results we receive:
feedback from the participants
information if, and to what extend, the goals of the scheme were reached
recommendations what should be changed to make it more effective
It’s obligatory part of EU School Scheme and its antecedent School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme

30. Main goals of the School Scheme evaluation
To assess the effectiveness of the Scheme, if it reaches its core objectives or not, in particular how the Scheme influences on:
children’s eating habits, in particular consumption of fruit, vegetables and milk products
dietary behaviours
knowledge on healthy diet benefits

31. instead of
???
Does the scheme work? 31

32. SFVS evaluation’s findings and recommendations were taken into account during designing new UE School Scheme implemented currently

33. SFVS evaluation
Results of its first evaluation confirmed that SFVS influenced positively on:
consumption of F&V by children
lowering the barriers preventing children from eating F/V
children’s knowledge on healthy diet
dietary patterns of parents, especially their attitudes towards child nutrition

34. Examples of the results:
At the end of the SFS, total consumption of f&v on schooldays in the intervention group was 21% higher than in the control group

35. Examples of the results:
The Scheme proved to have an influence on lowering the barriers preventing children from eating F/V as:
‘schoolmates who don’t eat F/V’
(at the end of the SFS 17% in control group vs. 6% in intervention group)
‘prefer to eat something sweet instead of fruit’
‘eating vegetables takes too long’

36. Recommendations after the evaluation
High frequency of distribution of products – at least 3-4 times a week (1-2 times a week is not enough to change eating habits)
Increase attractiveness for children (variety of products, high quality)
Educational measures need strengthening – deliveries are not enough to change eating habits, accompanying measures are curtail!
More vegetables in the scheme
Children can not take the products home – influence of other pupils is a very strong determinant!

37. This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union
The contents of this publication is the sole responsibility of NIRAS IC Sp. z o.o. and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union