In 2007, the Best school milk initiative category was British Columbia Dairy Foundation’s Elementary School Milk Programme – delivered by volunteer on site co-ordinators with the support of the teachers, principals and PAC members of those schools. The Programme encouraged kids to develop a lifelong habit of drinking milk. Runners up included the Milk Development Councils’ School Milk Project in the UK and the school milk initiative from the Israel Dairy Board.
Highly Commended were the entries from the National Dairy Council in the USA – each one an example of how local dairy companies and schools work together to encourage milk consumption. ??
In 2008 the winner was The Danish Dairy Board with its 160-page handbook in co-operation with school leaders, teachers, psychologists and parents’ organisations. Its aim was to recruit new milk drinkers and halt long term milk consumption decline, while strengthening milk’s position in families and gaining goodwill from schools and authorities. Among the finalists was The School Health Annual Report Programme (SHARP), an Indian NGO. SHARP launched school milk clubs to promote milk as a fun drink among school children. ??
Great school milk initiatives – so why not add your School Milk initiative to this list? I would love to see this category as one of the strongest in these important awards.
Geoff Platt is editor of Dairy Innovation magazine. He is pictured (top) at the 2008 Dairy Innovation Awards with Werner Basler of Elopak – sponsors of the Global Dairy Congress in Salzburg in April.
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