Alliance launched for school milk in UK
A group of organisations in the UK including the charity, education, health and dairy sectors has launched the School and Nursery Milk Alliance to promote the benefits to children of drinking milk in schools and nurseries and increase take up of free and subsidised milk in schools and nurseries. The group will focus on campaigning for the continued provision of milk to children to remain a public policy priority, highlighting the health and social benefits to children of drinking milk while at school or in nursery and promoting best practice among schools and nurseries.
Members of the Alliance currently include the Dairy Crest, Dairy UK, Creamlines, the National Day Nurseries Association, and Cool Milk.
Jon Thornes MBE, interim chairman of the School and Nursery Milk Alliance, says: “We as a country are facing unprecedented problems of obesity and public health, so it is more important than ever that our children are encouraged to adopt good habits and live healthy lives.
“Drinking milk while in school or nursery is an important part of good nutrition and, along with drinking water and eating fruit, milk is an essential part of a child’s school day. It can also provide valuable social benefits and opportunities for children to learn and develop social skills. Learning these skills and the value of good eating habits and nutrition at an early age is crucial to the development of any child and can help enormously in ensuring their good health later in life.”
Children under the age of five are currently entitled to free milk in the UK, while milk for children older than five is partially subsidised.
For further information please visit www.snma.org.uk