Agriland Media Group is delighted to collaborate with the National Dairy Council (NDC) to bring you the Raising the Dairy Voice Series.
Recent NDC consumer research found that 83% of Irish people believe dairy is part of a healthy balanced diet.
Food choice is increasingly influenced by popular trends, food blogs and social media. Understandably, with so many diverse sources, some can lack scientific accuracy, leading to confusion for those trying to make the best choices.
Nutrition education is led by a team of PhD qualified nutritionists at the NDC. Bridging the gap with nutrition facts is their role.
The team is trusted to share their extensive knowledge of the scientific research, to educate and create better understanding of dairy in the diet.
The work aims to secure Irish dairy’s essential nutrition status across all consumer life stages, and to establish its role in a tasty, healthy and sustainable diet.
There are a range of different ways to speak to these audiences and some examples of the work include:
- Promotion of ‘Eating Sustainably’ nutrition booklet in 800 GP waiting rooms across Ireland. Consumers spend a significant amount of time in the waiting room, providing an opportunity to engage with health messages, including how dairy is included in a healthy sustainable diet;
- Publication of the Dairy Nutrition Forum, a science-based publication for health professionals, academics and industry experts, in collaboration with Food for Health Ireland. The latest edition gives an overview of the scientific research on lactose and the gut, with a focus on lactose intolerance. It was provided to over 900 registered dieticians in Ireland;
- Creation of ‘milk myths’ lesson plans, in collaboration with secondary school home economics teachers, to use in the classroom. This closes a gap in the education curriculum and addresses common dairy myths with facts, for both teachers and students;
- Commissioning research that found drastically low intakes of dairy amongst Irish teenagers. This data reinforces the public health importance of dairy and highlights room for improvement in the diets of Irish teenagers; issues that were raised during recent press release and media interviews**;
- 90% of GPs who attended a recent education webinar hosted by the NDC said they often discuss nutrition with their patients. GPs are the gatekeepers to medical care and advice in the community. The majority of these GP’s also said they believe the NDC is a trusted source of information. Informing them about dairy related research can help practitioners to keep up to speed on what’s new.
The persistence of dairy myths, including that dairy is fattening, is an example of how continued efforts in communicating nutrition messages are needed.
In fact, recent research funded by the NDC shows that among Irish teens, higher consumers of dairy did not have a greater body weight indicator (BMI) than lower consumers.
Again, this confirms that moderate consumption of dairy is part of a healthy balanced diet.
Senior nutritionist at the NDC, Dr. Mary Harrington said:
“The challenges around communicating factual nutrition information to consumers are not exclusive to dairy. We are lucky that we can rely on a body of scientific evidence that backs up the health benefits of dairy.”
Dairy products account for 39% of Ireland’s calcium intake and 35% of our vitamin B12 intake, along with many other important nutrients.
The Department of Health recommends we consume three servings of dairy per day (milk, yogurt and cheese), with nine to 18-year-olds recommended to consume five servings per day, and older adults recommended three to four servings per day.
Overall, few foods can match dairy for its nutritional value. Due to its significant contribution to several nutrient intakes, it would be difficult to replace it while also ensuring that the nutritional status of the population is still met.
In the coming weeks, students, parents and teachers will begin to prepare for back to school.
Dairy is an essential component of the school day, either through a carton of milk from the EU School Milk Scheme, a cheese and salad sandwich in the lunchbox or a yogurt snack after school.
Shortly after, on September 25, is World School Milk Day, a global celebration that the NDC will be part of, to promote the benefits of milk for child health and wellbeing.