Europeans want plant-based milk on offer in schools

The European Commission today (November 24th) presented the preliminary findings from the public consultation on the EU School Fruit, Vegetables and Milk Scheme at a conference in Brussels. The conference was held to gather views to feed into a preliminary Commission proposal on the scheme, to be drafted early  in 2023.

At the conference, the Commission revealed the results of the public consultation which found 72% of those who responded want plant-based milks to be included in the scheme.

“We/re delighted by the outcome of the consultation which made overwhelmingly clear plant-based milks have a place in the EU School Scheme,” Lucia Hortelano, EU Policy Manager at ProVeg, said.

“The conference also made several references to the need to transition to a more sustainable scheme, and we believe the introduction of plant-based milks should be one of the solutions ” she added.

The scheme, which benefits over 20 million children across Europe, has massive potential to be a flagship initiative for the inclusion of sustainable and environmentally friendly products for children across Europe. 

Incorporating plant-based milks into the school scheme will that the EU really wants to offer greater choice to children who are unable, or unwilling, to consume dairy milk and are seeking out a healthy, climate-friendly, ethical alternative. 

Earlier this year, ProVeg raised a petition calling for the inclusion of calcium-fortified, unsweetened plant-based milk into the scheme, which 75,000 people have since signed. 

“We already knew many people were in favour of including plant-based milks in the EU scheme but the results of the public consultation shows the vast majority of people in the EU wants this too,” Hortelano said.

“Unsweetened, calcium-enriched plant-based milks offer children greater choice of what they can drink at school mealtimes, allowing those with allergies and intolerances to feel included. Some children are also concerned about animal welfare and with plant milk, these concerns aren't raised,” she pointed out.

“Both the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy and the Beating Cancer plan mention the importance of moving to a more plant-based diet , and this includes plant-based alternatives to conventional dairy products,” she added.

Other NGOs also celebrated the results of the public consultation. 

Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU, said: “These are excellent results that must pave the trajectory of the EU scheme funding school meals. It's time schools start a meaningful transition towards healthier and more sustainable diets, engraining good habits early on in younger generations. Children should have better access to plant-based foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, plant-based milk, legumes, nuts and grains.”

ProVeg International is also aware of the untapped potential this can have for farmers in the European Union and how growing environmental constraints are becoming a major threat to traditional farming livelihoods. Farmers have an important role to play in the just transition towards alternative-protein production and the school scheme broadening its products can play a key role in this transition.

Next steps

Following the outcome of the consultation, ProVeg will continue working with policy makers and the wider public to fill any knowledge gaps that might arise on the inclusion of more plant-based products into the school scheme.

“We think it is important to inform people more about how these products. Moreover, we will continue to highlight how plant-based milks also have the added attraction of being both climate-friendly and animal-friendly - two factors that the EU is keen to incorporate in its programmes,” Hortelano said.

www.proveg.com