Government seeks organic food producers for Luxembourg schools

The Ministry of Agriculture has issued a call to tender for the school free fruit and vegetable programme, which delivers to over 400 sites in Luxembourg each week.

The programme’s aim is to increase students’ fruit and vegetable consumption as well as support local organic farming. According to a  Ministry of Agriculture press release issued on Friday, 98% of students in primary and secondary schools benefit from the programme.

To meet the demand for over 461 tonnes of fruits and vegetables a year, five contracts are open to local agricultural producers who will mainly supply apples, pears and carrots. Another two are open for distributors that supply the remaining two-thirds of fruits and vegetables and manage the logistics of food transport to the schools.

The local producers must agree to welcome school classes to their farms to educate students about local and healthy eating. Last school year, 382 primary school students participated in visits to local fruit growers and vegetable farmers.

Luxembourg is implementing the European school fruit and vegetable programme for the 17th time, with the quantity of regional fruits and vegetables significantly increasing in recent years and now accounting for about a third of the products distributed, the ministry stated.

In total, one-third (32%) of the distributed products will be organic, mostly from local production. Only 10% of the food supplied by distributors has to be organic. In response to critics calling for more, the ministry said they “consider that a significant increase in the percentage of organic products could prove counterproductive, as it would involve a greater reliance on imports of foreign organic products.”

The ministry said it encourages local agricultural producers and distributors to participate, adding that several smaller producers may also team up to jointly apply for a slot. Suppliers can submit their application until 1 September 2025.