Allister backs free fruit in schools
20 November 2008
This week the European Parliament backed a Commission proposal for a scheme to give every primary school pupil free fruit. "With 5 million children in the EU overweight, the inculcating of healthier eating habits at an early age is important", says Ulster MEP, Jim Allister.
Mr Allister explained, "The Commission scheme is limited in its resources and would require co-financing by member states. At its present level of proposed funding it might only permit one piece of fruit per child per week. Such is patently inadequate. If the scheme is worth doing, then it must be on a scale of daily provision. This would be a better spend of EU funds than many of the schemes money is wasted on. A further concern which I have is the option for some member states to ask for contributions from parents. This must not happen, or the scheme would lose its universal availability. Otherwise, there is obvious merit in this scheme and, therefore, I was happy to vote for it."
