School fruit & vegetables

Since 2017, the National Center for Agricultural Support has been implementing the "School fruit and vegetables" project in Poland. In partnership with local farmers and schools, the project promotes a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables and dairy products among children. The aim is to change children's eating habits by increasing the share of fruit, vegetables and dairy products in their diet at the stage when their eating habits are formed. The project also aims to promote a healthy, balanced diet that has a direct impact on the environment, whilst also increasing awareness of this issue among children and parents.

Country

Poland

Media

* TOP TIP *

'Research a different fruit, vegetable or dairy product each week to trace its journey from field to table'

How is the project linked to climate change & sustainability?

The project promotes a change in eating habits among children and parents, which in turn leads to a change in consumer attitudes. If children learn to eat more vegetables and fruit, their diet will be oriented towards plant production, which in turn will reduce animal production which has been shown to potentially have a negative impact on our environment.  By also learning about how organic farming works with the environment, the project supports sustainable development and has a positive impact on the climate. 

Who is involved?

Fruit, vegetable and milk producers, school pupils, teachers and parentsall  participate in the program.

How are the participants involved?

Local producers of fruit, vegetables and milk deliver their products to a specific school throughout the school year. In this way, they have direct contact with the pupils and thus with their potential consumers in the future. The pupils of the participating school are consumers of fruit and vegetables and milk products. In addition, they take part in educational trips to the farms from which the products are delivered. Through these trips, they can learn about the daily life on the farm, understand the relationship between nature, human activities and what they consume. These students will decide in the future how agricultural production will look and what impact it will have on our environment. Teachers and parents receive a range of educational materials on healthy eating, include recipes that take advantage of the seasons and the availability of local products.

Key steps

  • Schools from all over Poland can apply to the National Center for Agricultural Support  to join the project
  • A participation contract is signed between the school, the National Center for Agricultural Support and local producers for delivery of fruits and vegetables.
  • With the start of the new school year the participating school receives fruit, vegetables or dairy products on specific days of the week.
  • The pupils are the consumers of the products supplied.
  • The teacher receives a set of educational materials that inspire lessons on healthy eating which help the pupils to learn more about the environmental impact of our daily diets.
  • Teachers organise cooking workshops with their students.
  • Teachers organise a field trip to a farm to learn about daily life in the place where the food comes from.