Latvian schools to offer free kefir, yoghurt and honey alongside milk
Latvia's government has approved changes to the "Milk and Fruit for Schools" programme, expanding the range of free products for pupils to include kefir, plain yoghurt and honey. No additional funding is required for the change.
On Tuesday, 25 August, Latvia's government approved amendments to the "Milk and Fruit for Schools" programme, broadening the selection of food products children and young people can receive free of charge, the Ministry of Agriculture announced.
New products added
Until now, pupils could regularly receive free fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as pasteurised milk, throughout the school year. The programme will now also include kefir and plain yoghurt, available to all participating children depending on arrangements between the school, caterer and producer. These fermented dairy products will serve as an alternative for children who dislike the taste of drinking milk or have sensitive digestion, while still providing important protein, calcium, phosphorus and iodine.
Pupils in grades 1–9 will additionally have the option of receiving honey. It can be supplied by qualifying beekeepers, and the site where the honey is collected or packaged must be located no more than 100 kilometres from the school, a condition meant to support local production and short supply chains.
No extra funding needed
Adding kefir, yoghurt and honey to the programme will not require additional funding from the EU or the state budget — the new offerings will be covered within the programme's existing budget.
Scale of the programme
In the 2025/2026 school year, 1,322 educational institutions took part, of which 1,301 distributed fruit and vegetables and 1,223 distributed milk. Free fruit and vegetables (884.4 tonnes) reached 262,080 pupils, or 97% of the target group, while milk (2,267.6 tonnes) reached 254,529 pupils, or 94% of the target group. Since the EU-funded school schemes began, Latvia has distributed more than 52,500 tonnes of milk and dairy products and over 13,600 tonnes of fruit and vegetables.
