Teachers’ perspectives on the EU Fruit and Vegetable Scheme implementation in Italy

Objective: School-based fruit and vegetable provision programmes can improve children’s eating patterns and health by ensuring access to fruit and vegetables and providing nutrition education. However, the effectiveness of these programmes may be significantly affected by the implementation quality. The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the EU School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme according to Italian teachers’ perspective. Design, Setting, and Method: We carried out semi-structured interviews with teachers in two elementary schools in Italy that had participated in the EU School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme for several years. The interview protocol was based on domains, constructs and sub-constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Qualitative data from the interviews were coded deductively using the CFIR to identify the main barriers and facilitators to implementing the EU School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme. Results: Among the main facilitators of implementation of the EU School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme were the quality and variety of the products, as well as the educational intentions behind the scheme, and teachers’ overall level of engagement. Barriers were to be found in lack of teacher training, an absence of accompanying measures, limited knowledge about a healthy diet, the low involvement of parents, and finally, problems with product delivery. Conclusions: Providing more comprehensive teacher education and training and extending access to accompanying measures may improve the EU School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme’s implementation quality and effectiveness. Moreover, allowing greater flexibility in between suppliers and accounting for each geographic area’s unique character are crucial to overcoming the delivery problems that currently act as barriers to the implementation of the scheme.