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NEWS | SUNDAY • 3 JUNE 2018 maltatoday TIA RELJIC PRODUCE distributed to schools through the fruit and veg scheme must be sourced locally whenever available, parliamenta- ry secretary for agriculture Clint Camilleri told this newspaper. Camilleri said that he would be speaking with the contractors in order to ascertain that the pro- duce is bought locally from pit- kali wholesalers and local farm- ers as much as possible. Although there could be a pe- riod in which local supply does not meet demand, this would be recovered, Camilleri told Mal- taToday. "If the contractor is well-organised, there should be enough supply." For the sake of variety, the es- tablished 'menu' for schoolchil- dren does include some prod- ucts, such as pineapple, which would have to be imported. But for products which can be produced locally, there is abso- lutely no reason why these would not come directly from local pro- ducers, he insisted. Yesterday, the Environment Ministry categorically denied reports that the vegetables are cooked or frozen, but clarified that due to the amount of pro- duce, it needs to be kept in colder temperatures. On reports of sour milk, Camilleri said that the cartons are transported in a tempera- ture-controlled environment and delivered to schools in prop- er condition, but that it is the responsibility of the schools to ensure that the milk remains so until it is served to children. This newspaper is informed, through correspondences, that one complaint of sour milk was received. In this particular case, the milk was served about an hour after being delivered – which means that its quality could have been affected if it was not stored properly. The milk was also served with flavoured straws, which could have affect- ed its taste. The system by which the milk is to be distributed was previous- ly agreed upon with educators and parents, Camilleri explained. From hundreds of schools which have benefitted from the scheme so far, there was only this one complaint that he was informed of. "I understand that schools have other priorities," Camilleri said. "But it is important that schools – who themselves applied for this scheme – keep the milk in good condition." The government is in the pro- cess of evaluating whether the straws could be made biodegrad- able, although the ideal solution would be to do away with them entirely, Camilleri explained. "The best solution would be having teachers open the milk cartons and distributing the milk to children to avoid plastic waste," he said. "But are teachers prepared to do this?" Camilleri explained that with the current system, it can at least be assured that schoolchildren are provided with a carton of milk with a straw each. The idea to distribute small cartons of milk with straws to schoolchildren came about through consultation with par- ents and educators, and had a positive effect since it allowed a significant amount of schools to benefit from it – up by 70% compared to the 30% of previous schemes. Camilleri added that if schools and educators require resources, such as fridges, the government would surely provide assistance. Although there were delays, he said he is convinced that the cur- rent scheme is much better than the one which preceded it. Fruit and veg flack straightened out by junior minister Previous Menu Current Menu Watermelons Melons Seedless grapes Seedless watermelons Seedless oranges Seedless oranges Seedless tangerines Seedless tangerines Seedless strawberries Seedless clementines Seedless clementines Strawberries Apricots Apples Apples Plums Prunes Bananas Nectarines Grapes Lettuce Pineapple Cherry tomatoes Sweet peppers Broad beans Cherry tomatoes Sliced cucumbers Carrot sticks Green beans Changes to the scheme