Primary school children across the country are raising their glasses of milk today, September 25, in celebration of World School Milk Day.
The annual event, which is promoted by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and first debuted in September 2000, champions the benefits and successes of school milk programmes across the world.
The National Dairy Council (NDC) in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM), run the EU School Milk Scheme in Ireland, which helps ensure schoolchildren meet the Department of Health’s recommended daily servings of dairy, as part of a healthy balanced diet.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said: “World School Milk Day promotes Ireland’s grass-based production system and promotes the benefits of dairy in a healthy balanced diet.
“I wish to acknowledge the great work that the NDC does in running the EU school milk scheme in Irish schools on behalf of my department, making available subsidised milk to all our schoolchildren.
“The health benefits to our children of such school programmes cannot be underestimated. I would encourage all eligible schools to register for the School Milk Scheme so that pupils in schools can benefit from affordable milk that will encourage children to adopt healthy eating choices at a young age.”
The scheme, which is available to both primary and secondary schools, provides a daily supply of milk at discounted rates to participating schools to allocate to pupils, alongside educational resources which promote the merits and nutritional value of daily dairy consumption.
Schools that register for the School Milk Scheme receive two free weeks of milk upon sign-up.
To celebrate this year’s event, the NDC will run a 30-minute webinar highlighting the benefits of drinking milk, which will be made available to participating schools.
The broadcast will feature educational activities and interviews from a host of people including; a dairy farmer, a dietitian with the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, Louise Reynolds, and a school enrolled on the milk scheme.
It will also host a cooking demonstration with culinary arts teacher, Lisa Davies.
Speaking of the day, senior nutritionist at NDC, Dr. Mary Harrington said.
“This is the second year that we have held a webinar for schools on World School Milk Day and it is a fitting way to celebrate and educate schoolchildren both from rural and urban areas on the workings of a dairy farm – to experience where our nutritious milk comes from.
“It also provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the nutritional benefits of dairy and highlight to children the significant health benefits of including dairy in their diet, and a habit to carry into to their adult life.
“25,000 children from all over Ireland logged into the webinar last year on World School Mild Day and we hope for the same this year.”
To avail of the scheme, interested schools must register with the NDC which will get in touch with local suppliers on their behalf to ascertain pricing and delivery options.
According to the NDC, children and teenagers require an increased intake of calcium to support healthy bone development, with five daily servings of dairy recommended to satisfy this allowance.
Currently, Irish teenagers are falling short of these recommendations, with the latest research from the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance indicating that the average calcium intake of Irish teenagers stands at 51% of recommended levels.