Schools in the Wesel district: Funding for fruit and vegetables are missing!

Schools in the Wesel district: Funding for fruit and vegetables are missing!

Kreis Wesel, Deutschland - Kreis Wesel. alarm mood in the Wesel district! 14 schools stay on the route in the EU school shop program and do not receive free fruit and vegetables for their students. The SPD member of the state parliament René Schneider raises the alarm: "The funding is not sufficient to cover the need!" The EU provides around 5.4 million euros a year, but the state government of the CDU and the Greens are planning a drastic decline in grants from over 3.6 million to only 3.2 million euros for the coming year. A minus of 400,000 euros that the schools will hit hard!

In the current school year, 36 educational institutions applied for the coveted funds, but 14 schools received a cancellation. Including five, which still benefited from the funding last year: the community primary school Eschenburg in Moers, the Rainbow School Möllen in Voerde, the Ernst Reuter School in Kamp-Lintfort, the St. Peter Catholic School in Rheinberg and the School am Deich in Rheinberg. Schneider demands an urgent increase in the grants: "The state of North Rhine -Westphalia has to set the right priorities in its household - and they must be clearly with our children!"

school fruit program in danger

The SPD has set itself the goal of ensuring free, tasty and child-friendly meals at all schools in North Rhine-Westphalia. Schneider emphasizes that the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society, which provide several portions of fruit and vegetables per day, urgently need to be implemented. "An additional state funding could also benefit domestic agriculture," he adds. "That would be a great opportunity to attract attention to healthy eating with high -quality, seasonal and regional products." But the reality looks dark: Nationwide, 167 schools fall from previous funding at the beginning of the new school year! Time is pushing and the future of school catering is on the brink!