In the 2024/25 school year, pupils in more than 143,000 EU schools received 107 million litres of milk, 2,620 tonnes of cheese and 61,570 tonnes of fruit and vegetables. The Commission wants to make the scheme mandatory for member states under the next long-term budget.
As children across Europe returned to school this September, the European Commission continues to put healthy food on the school agenda via the EU school scheme, DG AGRI reports.
Who takes part, and what children receive
Latest data show a quarter of all children enrolled in nurseries, pre-primary, primary and secondary education participated in the scheme, with the majority (70.2%) attending primary schools. During the 2024/25 school year, children in over 143,000 schools across the EU received 61,570 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables, 107 million litres of drinking milk, and 2,620 tonnes of cheese and curd.
The scheme supports healthy eating habits and reconnects children with farming and the food they eat.
Children also took part in educational activities including farm visits and school gardens: 1.3 million visited farms or similar sites, while 2.8 million took part in school garden activities. A total of €356 million was spent on the scheme in 2024/25, including €188 million in EU contribution and €168 million in national funding — national funding rose by around €33 million year-on-year, showing continued member-state investment.
What’s next
Given the scheme’s success, the Commission has proposed continuing it under the next long-term EU budget, building on almost 50 years of support for healthy eating and stronger links between children and farming.
The proposal keeps the scheme focused on local-source products and gives member states more flexibility to tailor it to their needs, while making it simpler: it would become mandatory, ensuring EU funding is used for this purpose, with fewer legislative acts and requirements to implement it.
The next long-term budget would also strengthen links between the scheme and wider EU action on health, social policy and public procurement — supporting healthy eating, sustainable consumption, organic farming, local food chains and the fight against food waste.
Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food: «Through the EU school scheme, we are ensuring that children across Europe get access to seasonal, high-quality food, and take part in activities that connect them to farming.
Every fruit, vegetable or dairy product served, every farm visit and every school garden is an opportunity to reconnect children with agriculture and with the food they eat.
That is why we want to ensure the continuation of our support for the EU school scheme, making it a mandatory part of national plans, while adapting to national realities.»
Source: DG AGRI
