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The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme (SFVS) implemented by the European Union in 2009/2010 aims to improve the diet of students and to support agricultural markets and environmental sustainability. The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of the School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme implementation from 2009 to 2017 in Spain and its autonomous communities. A descriptive, longitudinal, observational, and retrospective study was carried out on the basis of document analysis of SFVS reports. We studied the average budget for Spain and its autonomous communities (AC), the number of students enrolled, the cost of the SFVS by student and by day, the duration of the SFVS, the quantity of fruits and vegetables (FV) per student and day (g), the variety of FV, the recommendation to include local, seasonal, and organic foods, and the educational activities (EA). The results were studied by the AC which are territorial entities of Spain. The budget almost doubled during the study, thanks mainly to EU funds. However, the number of students increased only from 18% in 2009 to 20% in 2016. The quantity of FV increased from 2579 to 4000 tons, and the duration of the SFVS increased from 9.8 to 19.6 days. In the AC, there were variations in EA, in the number of enrolled students (7.4% to 45.6%), in the cost per student (from €2.3 to €28), and in the duration in days (5.6 to 70 days). The recommendation to include local, seasonal, and organic foods was implemented in five of the eight years studied. The development and scope of the SFVS in Spain are still insufficient to generate an equitable healthy dietary pattern in the school population. However, the SFVS has generated an economic market for agricultural production due to the amount of FV distributed in each academic course.

The objective of this study is to explore the facilitating factors and opportunities that can promote the implementation of local food purchase (LFP) in Spanish school meals in the opinions of key informants (IK). A qualitative study was carried out based on in-depth interviews with 14 KI capable of influencing Spanish food policy (Representatives of consumers and/or producers, representatives of organizations that promote LFP, and representatives of the government and/or academics). They were asked about opportunities and facilitating factors for implementation of LFP. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. A qualitative content analysis was carried out with Atlas ti. The analysis of the interviews produced two categories that include factors that- in the interviewees’ opinions- can promote LFP (social fabric and policy) and three categories that bring together the factors that represent opportunities for implementation in school meal programs in Spain (the policy agenda, regional characteristics and regional context). The overlap between social and political demands were considered to be facilitating factors for LFP. Furthermore, in the opinions of KI, the presence of health and sustainability issues on the public agenda, the existence of a structured productive system and political changes represent an opportunity to implement LFP.

The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme (SFVS) implemented by the European Union 11 during 2009/10 aims to improve the diet of school children and to support agricultural markets and 12 environmental sustainability. The objective of this study was to characterize the SFVS 13 implementation in Spain (2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017). A descriptive, longitudinal, observational and retrospective 14 study was carried out based on document analysis of annual strategies of the SFVS. We studied the 15 average budget for the EU, the number of students enrolled, the cost of the SFVS by student and by 16 day, the duration of the SFVS, the quantity of fruits and vegetables (FV) per student, the variety of 17 FV, the inclusion of local, seasonal and organic foods, and the education activities (EA). The results 18 were studied by autonomous community (AC). The budget increased from 7.4 million euros in /15, the increase came from EU funds, the number of students 20 increased from 18% in 2009 to 20% in 2016. The quantity of FV went from 2,579 to 4,000 tons, 21 duration increased from 9.8 to 19.6 days and the variety of fruits and vegetables increased from 20 22 to 21 and from 5 to 6 respectively. In AC there were important variations in EA, in the number of 23 enrolled students (7.4% to 45.6%), in the cost per student (2.3€ to 28€) and in the duration in days 24 (5.6 to 70 days). The inclusion of local, seasonal and organic foods was identified in 5 of the 8 years 25 studied. The development and reach of the SFVS in Spain is still insufficient to influence dietary 26 patterns and health in the school population. However, the SFVS has generated an economic market 27 for agricultural production. 29Health. 31public health thanks to their ability to lower the burden of disease [3] 35 From this perspective, the European Commission (EC) recognizes the importance of developing 36 a plan to promote the consumption of fruit and vegetables in schools, supported by the EU[4] 37 (Commission of the European Communities, 2007), and in the 2009/10 school year the School Fruit38and Vegetables Scheme (SFVS) was implemented. The SFVS aims to act on health, diet, agricultural 39 markets, social equality and regional cohesion [5,6]. 40The SFVS is carried out through annual projects financed by the European Commission, by the 41 central government and by regional governments ((autonomous communities) in the case of Spain) [7] 42 It also includes the distribution of free FV to school students, and a series of education activities (EA) 43 designed to stimulate healthy eating habits in the child population in the short and long term [5,7,8]. 45Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted:Following the international recommendations for promoting a healthy diet [2,9], the SFVS is an 46 integral and coordinated strategy among different sectors, that articulates agricultural production of 47 FV with consumption in schools [6]. This set up gives it potential to influence different determinants 48 of health such as e...

The “School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme” (SFVS) was proposed in 2009/10 as a strategy to support the consumption of Fruit and Vegetables (FV), decrease rates of obesity, improve agricultural income, stabilize markets, and ensure the current and future supply of these foods. However, there is little information about how it was carried out in the EU. Given the potential of the SFVS to support healthier, more sustainable food systems, the objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of SFVS implementation from 2009/10 to 2016/17 in the EU. A longitudinal, observational, and retrospective study was carried out based on secondary data. A total of 186 annual reports of the Member States (MS) participating in the SFVS from 2009/10 to 2016/17 were consulted: European and national budget, funds used from the EU, participating schools and students, duration of the SFVS, FV offered, and application of sustainability criteria, expenditure per student, days of the week, the quantity of FV offered per student and other indicators were calculated. The majority of MS participated in the SFVS during the study period with a heterogeneous implementation pattern in terms of funds used, coverage, duration, quantity (totals and by portion), and cost of FV distributed per student. The sustainability criteria for the FV distribution were also not applied uniformly in all the MS. Establishing minimum recommendations for SFVS implementation are recommended to maximize the benefits of the SFVS. The results may be useful for planning new strategies to help address and improve current health and environmental problems.