The total cost of the Government's SFVS in 2005-6 is expected to be £37,354,000 compared to £28,840,000 in 2004-5. The lower costs in 2004-5 were due to incomplete roll out of the scheme. The unit cost per piece of fruit and vegetable supplied is 10p. Source: Hansard 17 January 2005, 1307SW. On 28th January the Guardian reported that the SFVS and Government 5 A DAY programme are being hit by a funding freeze with most staff contracts coming to an end in March with no certainty about future funding. The article also reports on an official evaluation that suggests the scheme has made no lasting effect on children's consumption of healthy food. For the full article see http://politics.guardian.co.uk/publicservices/story/0,,1696885,00.html

Lord Bach, the Sustainable Food and Farming Minister, has announced that the national subsidy for school milk will be retained. The EU subsidy on school milk was reduced in 2000. Since January 2001 the UK government has provided national aid to supplement the EU subsidy with a maximum annual cost of £1.5m in England. The decision follows an economic evaluation recently commissioned by Defra which recommends ending the subsidy. The consultant's report is available at http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/evaluation/schoolmilk/default.asp .

Councils across the west of Scotland are giving primary and secondary children the chance to design their own schools meals as part of a bid to tempt them away from chips and burgers. Source: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/lo/opinion/7021384.html