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Will free fruit fight fat in schools? EU thinks soSTRASBOURG, France (AP)--Will free fruit fight fat? Governments across the European Union think so, a top official said Nov. 18, and the EU appears ready to offer free fruit in schools in hopes millions of pudgy kids will slim down. One out of five EU children, an estimated 22 million, is overweight because of bad eating habits, said French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier. And more than 5 million of them are clinically obese--a figure expected to rise by 400,000 every year, according to the EU. But Barnier told the European Parliament on Nov. 18 there is overwhelming consensus in the 27 EU capitals regarding paying for fruit and vegetables for schoolchildren. The European legislature approved the plan with 586 to 47, with 41 abstentions. Barnier is presiding over a meeting of European farm ministers who will make the final decision later this week. The plan aims to promote lifelong healthy eating habits by giving schoolchildren fresh fruit at eating times. The World Health Organization recommends that everyone eat 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day. But the majority of Europeans fail to do that, the European Commission says. While there is consensus on the program, there are differences over how fat the budget should be. Lawmakers at the Parliament debated Nov. 18 whether the original proposal of euro90 million ($115 million) should be maintained or raised to euro500 million ($630 million). Several lawmakers insisted the EU should raise its contribution above euro90 million to meet the World Health Organization's targets. The EU's 27 farm ministers still have to decide on that, as well as whether the plan should ban imported fruit and vegetables and whether member states should be allowed to ask parents to help pay for the program. 11/24/08 Date: 11/19/08
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