Further education is needed to highlight the “importance” of consuming dairy, according to National Dairy Council (NDC) strategic operations director, Mark Keller.
Keller spoke following the publication of a new report, which showed only 4% of Irish adolescents meet the recommendations set out by the Department of Health’s dietary guidelines.
Keller told Agriland that there is a “problem” in the area of education, and that “works needs to be done now” to help younger generations.
He said that there are a number of initiatives taking place in schools at the moment, such as the Hot School Meals initiative, which now sees students from 2,000 schools receiving hot meals each day.
“We must make sure that dairy is a part of this,” Keller said.
“There’s a requirement for a guiding coalition of all stakeholders that need to look at this in the context of how we ensure that our kids are getting the right level of nutrition, through school meals and through school programs.
“But equally, that parents are getting the right level of education to ensure that they understand the benefits,” Keller said.
Plant-based products
Keller said that the growth of plant-based products “adds variety for the consumer”, but that its uptake does cause “some concern”.
He said that the “challenge” in the area of plant based products, is how “organisations sometimes make claims that the product is better, or just as good for you as dairy products”.
“When something new comes on the market, there’s always a rush to test it, particularly with a younger audience,” Keller said.
He said that the NDC will work to “make sure” consumers can make choices based on information and data.
“What we saw was some impact early on, but actually over the last two years, I think it pretty much flattened out. And in fact, in some cases, we’ve seen a drop off,” Keller said.
“This isn’t from a commercial or marketing point of view. It’s about the concern of not consuming enough dairy as a teen and the impact that will have later on in life,” Keller added.
NDC advert
Keller said that the NDC will continue to “share the story that dairy farming is on a transition”, but that it can be “difficult” for dairy farmers when there is “a constant negative sentiment and narrative”.
In relation to a recent decision by the Advertising Standards Authority, Keller said he has “the greatest respect” for the authority.
Keller said that while the advertising authority had reported that the advertisement was ordered to be removed, it was actually ordered to not be used again.
He said that the advertisement was produced in 2022 and had not featured on screens since early 2023. The case was being “argued back and forth” for that time.
“There are individuals out there that will complain on the basis of the description of what we’re trying to say as opposed to what is actually happening,” Keller said.
“We must make sure that we tell the stories in the right way and avoid getting distracted by things that end up creating all the wrong headlines for the wrong reasons,” he added.
He said that there are over 120 countries around the world that consume Irish dairy products.
“That’s an industry that we must protect and grow, but we must accept that there are responsibilities to meet challenging targets from a climate perspective,” Keller said.
He added that water quality is currently the biggest issue for dairy farmers, but that “huge strides” have been happening in the sector.