EU brings healthy snacks to Finnish schools
Liisa Rissanen, Kotimaiset kasvikset ryEuropean Union is designing a new School Fruit Scheme, which is intended to deliver fruits, berries and vegetables as break-time snacks for school children. The programme aims to promote healthy eating habits and to gain control of the increasing overweight problem among children and youth.
A school health survey carried out last year by National Institute for Health and Welfare revealed that 16 per cent of Finnish school children are overweight. Unhealthy snacks were reported to be eaten by 32 per cent of the children.
Hanna Harju, a researcher at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, considers that providing healthy snacks in school as a positive development trend.
- Healthy snacks are at the core in preventing overweight among children and youth. For this reason it is unfortunate that confectionary dispensing vending machines are still allowed in schools, Harju summarizes.
The annual budget for the EU funded project has been assigned to 90 million Euros. Finland’s share of the funding will be approximately 900 000 Euros. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland is in the process of preparing the implementation of the programme. It is intended to launch in the autumn of 2010.
