The European Commission launched a public consultation on the review of two programmes, the European School Milk Scheme and School Fruit Scheme, respectively providing dairy products and fruits and vegetables to children in schools. The consultation will run until 22 April 2013.

The European Commission is seeking input from the public on different policy options as part of its reflections on the schemes for Milk and Fruit distribution in schools. The review aims to assess the impact of both programmes and to analyse how they should evolve in the future, in terms of choice of products offered to children or supporting educational measures. The contributions to the public consultation can be made until the 22 April 2013. In October 2011, the Court of Auditors published a report stressing that the European School Milk Scheme is largely ineffective.

Dacian Cioloş, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural development stressed that the feedback from these schemes is positive, both in health terms and terms of educating children on seasonal food production. The Commissioner added that the public consultation is now launched to look at options for scaling up and improving efficiencies of both schemes.

Both schemes together benefited more than 25 million children across the participating Member States distributing around 43.000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables (to 8 million children) and 300.000 tonnes of milk and milk products (to 18 million children) in the school year 2010/2011. 24 Member States participate in the Fruit Scheme (all except Finland, Sweden and the UK) and 26 in the Milk Scheme (all except Greece).