Member State: PT Date: 30 January 2015 Ref.: Subject: School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme National Strategy for 2015/2016

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1 Member State: PT Date: 30 January 2015 Ref.: Subject: School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme National Strategy for 2015/2016 In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 288/2009 1, as currently in force, here is our national strategy for the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme for 2015/2016. Geographical area: National X Regional A. Baseline situation, objectives and targets (i) Baseline situation: Over half of Portuguese adults are overweight 2, and Portugal is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of childhood obesity in Europe. Portugal is therefore among the European countries with the highest rates of childhood obesity, which affects more than a third of Portuguese children 3, and if no action is taken, it is likely that future generations of children will be even more overweight than the current generation 4. In fact, research shows that Portuguese children eat less fruit and vegetables than the recommended averages, despite the fact that Portugal s overall per capita average for fruit and vegetables is higher than the EU average 5. The figures for childhood obesity are worrying. Data from COSI (Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative) Portugal for 2010 showed that 35.6 % of children aged between 6 and 8 were pre-obese and 14.6 % were obese 6. The epidemiological studies carried out under the PCO (Platform against Obesity) project confirmed that 32 % of 7 to 9-year-olds are overweight, 18.1 % of them being pre-obese, and 13.9 % of them being obese 7. Three factors account for the rise in childhood obesity in Portugal: A change in eating habits as a result of parents loss of traditional values towards Mediterranean food, which is directly reflected in children s dietary patterns, namely lower consumption of soups, fruit and vegetables; A preference for products with lower nutritional value but higher energy density, i.e. foods which are low in nutrients but high in calories, and which can result in weight gain; for example, refined breads filled with sugar and chocolate, industrially produced pizzas, hamburgers with sauces, soft drinks, cakes, pastries, and certain ice creams; Portuguese adults are among those in the European Union who engage in the least amount of physical activity Under review. Carmo et al, Prevalence of obesity in Portugal. Obesity reviews. 7 (2006) Cattaneo A, Monasta L, Stamatakis E, Lioret S, Castetbon K, Frenken F, Manios Y, Moschonis G, Savva S, Zaborskis A, Rito A, Nanu M, Vignerová J, Caroli M, Ludvigsson J, Koch FS, Serra-Majem L, Szponar L, van Lenthe F, Brug J (2009). Overweight and Obesity in infants and pre-school children in the European Union: a review of existing data. Obesity Reviews, 10 6).(published online: doi: /j X x) Rito A: Estado Nutricional de Crianças e oferta alimentar do pré-escolar do Município de Coimbra. In Carmo, I; Santos O; Camolas J, Vieira J (orgs) - Obesidade em Portugal e no Mundo. Lisbon: Lisbon Faculty of Medicine, Prochildren: Rito AI, Paixão E, Carvalho MA, Ramos C. Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: COSI Portugal Lisbon: National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA, IP); Rito A, Breda J. WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative Portugal 1

2 The results given in the evaluation report for the School Fruit Scheme (SFS) in Portugal (2012) indicate that the scheme had a positive impact on the consumption of fruit and vegetables by the youngest schoolchildren (year 2) 8. (ii) Objectives of the scheme: The main objective behind implementing the scheme in Portugal is to promote healthy eating habits, by introducing or reinforcing eating habits in children in order to disseminate healthy habits throughout the population. This main objective encompasses a number of more specific objectives within the following areas in which the scheme is involved: Public health: reducing the risk of childhood obesity and obesity-related chronic illnesses; Education: reinforcing the acquisition of skills in the area of food education and health within the school environment; Agriculture: bringing children closer to the rural environment and teaching them about where food comes from, in order to create and maintain the habit of eating fruit and vegetables. (iii) Targets: reversing the trend towards falling consumption of fruit and vegetables, thereby helping to combat obesity. Action with regard to these determining factors is expected to lead to significant medium-term gains in terms of the prevalence of chronic illnesses and the associated socio-economic costs. B. BUDGET 1 The estimated overall budget for the scheme for the 2015/2016 school year is , of which 15 % ( ) is national aid, and 85 % ( ) is EU aid. 2 Estimated breakdown of the budget (as a percentage and in euros): (i) communication measures: no more than 5 % of the EU contribution: ; (ii) accompanying measures: no more than 15 % of the EU contribution: ; (ii) evaluation and monitoring: no more than 10 % of the EU contribution: C. Target group Schoolchildren in the first cycle * of basic education at state schools. The target group was selected on the basis of health priorities, namely the prevalence of childhood obesity in Portugal and the scientific evidence with regard to changing eating habits, the characteristics of the Portuguese education system and children s cognitive predisposition towards adopting new patterns of behaviour, as well as budgetary constraints. Applying the principle of fairness means ensuring that all pupils in those schools have access to the 8 * Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Porto. School Fruit Scheme in Portugal Evaluation Report. Directorate-General for Health; Translator s note: This is equivalent to the first four years of primary school. 2

3 scheme; the approved suppliers must therefore include all schools in the region. Estimated number of schoolchildren: Estimated number of schools: D. List of eligible products Products are chosen from the list set out in Parts IX, X and XI of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, which was approved by means of a favourable opinion by the Directorate-General for Health in accordance with the second paragraph of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 288/2009. Products from that list are selected with the aim of promoting national production and good environmental practices, in order to favour products with greater geographical proximity, thus reducing transport costs and carbon emissions, highlighting local or regional products and discriminating positively in favour of production under quality certification schemes, while also adhering to seasonality criteria. (a) Criteria for choosing products: Method of presentation: only fresh products that are easy to consume as they are and properly packaged so as to comply with the principles of health and hygiene are chosen. An example of this would be the procedure used by Portuguese producer organisations, which make products available pre-packaged in bags of around 10 to 12 units, hygienically prepared and ready to eat (possible use of freshly cut pre-packaged products, depending on budgetary availability). Quality: depending on budgetary availability, payments may be increased for products produced under the Integrated Production (IP), Organic Production (OP), Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) quality certification schemes, so as to discriminate positively in favour of products of recognised quality in order to encourage short supply chains, ensure traceability and bring about environmental benefits, specifically through the aforementioned schemes. This increase may amount to a maximum of 0.02/piece/portion for products of certified quality, as evidenced in an expenditure document, up to a maximum of 50 % of all products distributed by the educational establishment. Origin: priority is given, in descending order, to products of local, regional, national and Community origin, an effort being made to always prioritise the inclusion of local products for reasons of availability, lower logistical and distribution costs, lower environmental impact due to transportation and higher product quality, as well as for reasons directly related to education and the realities of production, such as product knowledge and product origin. Products should be made available with the following in mind: (a) it is preferable for all products to be distributed at least once a year, meaning that each child has the chance to consume each eligible product at least once in every school year, but it is mandatory to make at least five eligible products available each year, two of which must be carrots and tomatoes; (b) it is preferable for none of the products to be included in more than 50 % of the distributions, which means that, assuming that there are no changes in the budget, and on the basis of the distribution of two products per week for 30 weeks, no product may be distributed more than 30 times per year. Seasonality: in order to give preference to products that are in season. Although some eligible 3

4 products are not subject to seasonality criteria, since they can be preserved, others must be consumed in the season in which they are produced, such as, for example, cherries, grapes, plums and peaches. Environmental impact: the aim is to reduce the pollution inherent in the need to transport products by taking into account distance and packaging used. In view of environmental concerns and the objective of reducing carbon emissions and transport costs, it is good practice to prioritise local products, whenever availability so allows. Similarly, in order to increase children s civic awareness and teach them ecological skills, the need for recycling should be kept to a minimum, and there should be an appropriate and effective waste management policy. Therefore, elaborating on the criteria laid down, the following fruit and vegetables are eligible: (a) Apples (b) Pears (c) Clementines (d) Tangerines (e) Oranges (f) Bananas (g) Cherries (h) Grapes (i) (j) Plums Peaches (k) Carrots (l) Tomatoes E. Accompanying measures (i) Objectives of the accompanying measures: greater focus on activities relating to agriculture, health education and product tasting, in order to improve the target group s knowledge of the fruit and vegetables sector and promote healthy habits. (ii) Content: measures are chosen to ensure that the skills acquired in the first cycle of basic education are reinforced in such a way that knowledge is transformed into practices and patterns of behaviour that lead to healthy eating. Selection process: delegated to the school. When preparing the accompanying measures, schools work in partnership with the municipalities to select the accompanying measures that they wish to develop from among those pre-selected in this national strategy. A list of the accompanying measures will be notified to the Agriculture and Fisheries Financing Institute (IFAP) to allow it to verify whether (or not) the accompanying measures specified by the municipality and/or the schools are covered by the list of eligible accompanying measures set out in this national strategy. IFAP informs the Directorate-General for Education of the measures that have been approved for implementation. 4

5 As well as being mandatory, accompanying measures must be open to all pupils. By mandatory it is meant that at least one accompanying measure must be implemented each school year. Main measures (other measures are included in the annex) 1. Organisation of visits to farms, markets, fairs and fruit and vegetable centres 2. Planting of fruit and vegetable gardens at schools and provision of small bags of seeds 3. Healthy eating: tasting classes, food preparation/handling classes 4. Provision of teaching materials and leaflets for children 5. SFVS website: updating and maintenance F. Involvement of stakeholders The scheme is jointly coordinated at national level by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea (MAM), the Ministry of Health (MS) and the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC), represented, respectively, by the Office for Planning, Policy and General Administration (GPP), the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and the Directorate-General for Education (DGE). Implementing the SFVS requires the involvement of the agriculture, education and health sectors through representatives at central, regional and local level. The Ministries involved (MAM/MS/MEC) and their representatives (GPP/DGS/DGE) have links with decentralised bodies at regional level, namely the regional health administrations and the regional education services, as well as with the local authorities and with schools/school clusters. Civil society participants include in particular the National Association of Municipalities, producers associations, parents associations, and other bodies whose participation may be encouraged through the creation of natural synergies as the SFVS develops. G. Distribution arrangements and selection of procedure Taking into account budgetary availability, and given that it is not possible to ensure daily distribution throughout the school year for all current pupils, the scheme allows the following: Frequency: two days per week for 30 weeks of the school year. In order to make it viable for all pupils to participate in the scheme, and in view of the asymmetrical distribution of pupils by school and schools by municipality, as well as the fact that they are spread out across the country, which is likely to hinder logistical operations because of the relative costs of distributing small quantities, the following alternatives to the distribution model may be allowed in exceptional and duly justified cases: (i) Concentration of the total number of portions for each school year in a specific consecutive period; (ii) Joint applications by municipalities based on common logistical operations for all or some of the schools included. Distribution may not take place at the same time as any other meal or be used to replace products in any other meal. This means that the fruit/vegetables distributed under the SFVS may not in any way replace school milk or be included as part of lunch, or replace any food that is part of lunch. In the light of current practice, the fruit/vegetables may be distributed in the afternoon in the classroom whilst a teacher is present. 5

6 In schools teaching the first cycle of basic education which operate a double shift system *, the fruit/vegetables must be distributed at a time that does not coincide with the distribution of school milk. Suppliers: In Portugal, local authorities are responsible for providing meals to pupils in the first cycle of basic education, in accordance with Decree-Law No 399-A/84 of 28 December They also have the authority to provide educational support, namely within the area of educational resources, in accordance with Law No 159/99 of 14 September 1999 and Decree-Law No 144/2008 of 28 July Therefore, upon joining the scheme, local authorities become responsible for the local management of the SFVS, ensuring that all pupils in all schools teaching the first cycle of basic education in their area receive the eligible products as defined under this strategy. Exercising this responsibility involves acquiring the products and assuming responsibility for all the logistical aspects of their distribution in schools. When acquiring the products, municipalities must ensure that logistical needs are met, as well as ensuring compliance with the product selection criteria listed in point D. So as to make the scheme more flexible and ensure that it covers all pupils, bearing in mind that not all municipalities have joined the scheme, the Directorate-General for Educational Establishments may also apply to the SFVS on behalf of clusters of schools that have not been included in applications submitted by municipalities. To streamline and facilitate the entire process arising under the SFVS, all local authorities and schools involved in the scheme must designate a focal point to act as a point of contact with the national coordination team, i.e. the inter-ministerial team (GPP/MAM DGS/MS DGE/MEC). In the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores, the model is applied in the same manner, except that the role of the local authorities is performed by the competent authorities. H. Monitoring, evaluation and checks Monitoring and evaluation: monitoring and evaluation of the SFVS is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, through its Directorate-General for Health, in conjunction with the Office for Planning, Policy and General Administration, the Agriculture and Fisheries Financing Institute and the Directorate-General for Education. Evaluation: each year for a period of five years, outsourced to a university. Checks: administrative checks are carried out on 100 % of aid applications, and on-the-spot checks are carried out on a sample. The Agriculture and Fisheries Financing Institute, as the paying agency, establishes the risk criteria, procedures and reporting forms in accordance with the legislation in force. * Translator s note: Pupils attend an extended morning or afternoon shift, but not both. 6

7 Annexes D. List of eligible products Eligible product Eligible products Minimum number of units or portions Apples 1 Pears 1 Clementines 1 Tangerines 1 Oranges 1 Bananas 1 Cherries Grapes ½ cup (= 7 to 9 portions per kg) ½ bunch (= 9 to 11 portions per kg) Plums 2 Peaches 1 Carrots 2 Tomatoes (including cherry tomatoes or equivalent) 1 (up to 3 if cherry tomatoes or equivalent) E. Accompanying measures Other accompanying measures 1. Play activities: theatre, dance, songs, poems, games and competitions relating to the SFVS; 2. Recognition of schools as friends of the SFVS prizes and incentives; 3. SFVS-themed days/weeks; 4. Others: SFVS-themed certificates. 7