The European Dairy Association (EDA) commends the European Commission in its recent package, predominately focused at dairy producers, for highlighting the importance of the School Food scheme and the need for improvements.

As we approach World School Milk day, in which countries around the world celebrate the health benefits of school milk programmes, EDA would like to take the opportunity to reinforce the significance the scheme has for the health of children and adolescents.

As highlighted in our nutrition fact sheet regarding the school food scheme, EDA, the voice of the European milk processors, points that dairy products provide a multitude of essential vitamins and minerals that are of vital significance for health throughout the life cycle, but expressly during the growth and development phase that occurs in childhood and adolescence. As milk and dairy consumption has been declining in children and adolescents, it has never been as important to have a substantial programme where the EU provides a positive encouragement to reduce decreasing dairy consumption among youth while hand in hand helping to combat the rising micronutrient deficiencies in children.

The World School Milk Day will be a focal point of activities and draw attention across the world, we hope programmes will be better prompted. By focusing on the awareness of the benefits of dairy in childhood, we know that dairy consumption behaviour is most likely to continue into adulthood, with possible health effects e.g. as obesity or bone health. Regardless of flavoured or unflavoured, milk based foods are not only rich in calcium but also in many other essential micro-nutrients. Increasing consumption among children under these schemes enhances the nutritional value of their diets in this important development stage and provides long term health benefits for our next generation.

Since the first discussions on a proposal of the European Commission for a new School Food Scheme (SFS) we have advocated for the maintenance of all current eligible dairy products in the name of the nutritional benefits for children in Europe. Last Monday 21 September, the draft text of the Luxembourg presidency on the proposal revising the SFS programme, was well received by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). We congratulate the Luxembourg EU Presidency that its proposal to increase the scheme's milk budget from 80 million to 100 million was supported by the majority of countries.

As Commissioner Hogan along with the Luxembourg presidency intend to rapidly conclude now the new proposal, EDA will continue to advocate for the new scheme to include a broader category of dairy products in the basic eligible products so to cater for a wider audience and enable dairy products to be an attractive, healthy and nutritious snack for our youth today & tomorrow.

http://eda.euromilk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Public_Documents/Press_releases/EDA-_2015_4982_PR_EDA-_World_School_Milk_Day_30_September.pdf


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