140,000 Students in Healthy Diet Program
- Valladolid,spain – More than 140,000 students across 629 schools in Castilla y León will participate in a program designed to promote healthy eating habits and highlight the importance...
- The regional government, known as the Junta de Castilla y León, has allocated €557,000 to fund the program.
- María González Corral, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, and Rocío Lucas, head of the Education department, visited the Our Lady of Villar College of Child and...
Castilla y León Students to Benefit from Healthy Eating Programme
Table of Contents
- Castilla y León Students to Benefit from Healthy Eating Programme
- Castilla y León’s Healthy Eating Program: A Q&A
- What is the Healthy Eating Programme in Castilla y León?
- Who is involved in this program?
- What is the purpose of this initiative?
- How much funding has been allocated to this program?
- What type of food is being distributed?
- Were does the produce come from?
- What other initiatives are part of this program?
- What are the ‘Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future’ and ‘Young Value Chain’ initiatives?
- Have there been any recent developments with the launch of the program?
- What other activities are included in the program?
- When did this program start?
- What are the key benefits of programs promoting healthy eating in schools?
Valladolid,spain – More than 140,000 students across 629 schools in Castilla y León will participate in a program designed to promote healthy eating habits and highlight the importance of local agriculture,officials announced wednesday. The initiative includes consumption of vegetables and milk, along with visits to farms, cooperatives, and agri-food businesses.
The regional government, known as the Junta de Castilla y León, has allocated €557,000 to fund the program.
María González Corral, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, and Rocío Lucas, head of the Education department, visited the Our Lady of Villar College of Child and Primary Education (CEIP) in Laguna de Duero, Valladolid, to observe one of the deliveries. The deliveries began in April and are scheduled to continue throughout May.
The program, co-financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (Feaga), aims to distribute 176,400 kilograms of produce, including pears, apples, and carrots, along with 135,400 liters of milk. Thes products are sourced from regional companies such as Cofrubi (Carracedelo, León), Tabuenca (Cuéllar, Segovia), and Gaza (Cores, Zamora).
González Corral emphasized the project’s dual purpose: “It encourages the consumption of basic foods in a balanced diet, in addition to bringing the field to the classrooms and raising awareness about the value of local products.”
According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, González Corral added, “We are committed to ensuring that agrarian activity, the products it supplies, and the importance they have within a healthy diet are known firsthand by our young people, since we understand that what is not known is very difficult to assess in its fair measure.”
Lucas highlighted the regional government’s long-standing commitment to promoting healthy habits and health education within schools.
“This program is part of this line of action, just as is the promotion of physical activity,” Lucas said. “This activity today is a good exponent of an educational system characterized, in addition to its excellence, for dynamism, innovation and promotion of appropriate values and habits.”
Complementary Measures
The distribution program, which began in the 2017-2018 school year, is part of a broader strategy involving the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Education, and Health. This strategy includes initiatives such as ‘Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future’ and ‘Young value Chain’.
Additional activities include fruit and vegetable tasting workshops, interactive displays highlighting the characteristics and benefits of these products, support for school gardens, distribution of educational materials, and visits to agri-food industries.
The ‘Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future’ initiative targets 4th-grade primary school students, aiming to inspire interest in agriculture and address generational turnover. It includes visits to farms, cooperatives, agricultural vocational training centers, and agri-food industries.
The ‘Young Value Chain’ program, aimed at students aged 12 to 18, seeks to familiarize students with agricultural activity and raise awareness of its importance to society and healthy eating. Seventy-three centers are participating in this course.
EFE contributed to this report.
Castilla y León’s Healthy Eating Program: A Q&A
What is the Healthy Eating Programme in Castilla y León?
The Healthy Eating Programme in Castilla y León is an initiative designed to promote healthy eating habits among students and highlight the importance of local agriculture. It includes the consumption of vegetables and milk, as well as visits to farms, cooperatives, and agri-food businesses. Over 140,000 students across 629 schools are participating in the program.
Who is involved in this program?
The program is a joint effort involving:
Students in Castilla y León
The Junta de Castilla y León (regional government)
The Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Growth
The Education department
The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (Feaga), which co-finances the program
Suppliers like Cofrubi, Tabuenca, and Gaza
What is the purpose of this initiative?
The program has a dual purpose, as stated by María González Corral, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development. It aims to:
Encourage the consumption of basic foods in a balanced diet.
Bring the field to the classrooms, thus raising awareness about the value of local products.
How much funding has been allocated to this program?
The regional government (Junta de Castilla y León) has allocated €557,000 to fund the program.
What type of food is being distributed?
The program aims to distribute:
176,400 kilograms of produce, including pears, apples, and carrots.
135,400 liters of milk.
The produce is sourced from regional companies within Castilla y León.
Were does the produce come from?
The produce is sourced from regional companies, specifically:
Cofrubi (Carracedelo, León)
Tabuenca (Cuéllar, Segovia)
Gaza (Cores, Zamora)
What other initiatives are part of this program?
The distribution program is part of a broader strategy that includes initiatives such as:
‘Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future’
‘Young Value Chain’
What are the ‘Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future’ and ‘Young Value Chain’ initiatives?
‘Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future’: This initiative targets 4th-grade primary school students. It aims to inspire an interest in agriculture and address generational turnover. It includes visits to farms, cooperatives, agricultural vocational training centers, and agri-food industries.
‘Young Value Chain’: This program targets students aged 12 to 18. It seeks to familiarize students with agricultural activity and raise awareness of its importance to society and healthy eating. Seventy-three centers are participating in this course.
Have there been any recent developments with the launch of the program?
Deliveries of produce started in April and were scheduled to continue throughout May to schools across Castilla y León.María González Corral, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural development, and Rocío Lucas, head of the Education department, visited the Our Lady of Villar College in Laguna de Duero, Valladolid, to observe one of the deliveries.
What other activities are included in the program?
Additional activities included in the broader strategy are:
Fruit and vegetable tasting workshops
Interactive displays highlighting the characteristics and benefits of these products
Support for school gardens
Distribution of educational materials
Visits to agri-food industries
When did this program start?
The distribution program began in the 2017-2018 school year.
What are the key benefits of programs promoting healthy eating in schools?
Improved Nutritional Habits: Encourages consumption of fruits, vegetables, and milk.
Health education: Raises awareness of the importance of a balanced diet.
Support for Local Agriculture: Highlights the value of local products and agrarian activity.
Educational visits: Provides firsthand experience with agriculture and food production.
* Promoting healthy habits: promotes long-standing government plans to promote health in schools
| Initiative | Target Age Group | Primary Goal | Activities |
| :—————————— | :———————— | :————————————————————————————————————————————— | :————————————————————————————————————– |
| Healthy Eating Programme | Students across 629 schools | Promote healthy eating habits and highlight the importance of local agriculture. | Consumption of vegetables and milk, visits to farms, cooperatives, and agri-food businesses. |
| Farmers and Livestock Farmers of the Future | 4th Grade Primary School | Inspire interest in agriculture and address generational turnover. | visits to farms, cooperatives, agricultural vocational training centers, and agri-food industries. |
| Young Value Chain | 12 to 18 year olds | Familiarize students with agricultural activity and raise awareness of its importance to society and healthy eating. | Workshops, interactive displays, support for school gardens, distribution of educational materials, site visits. |