World School Milk Day, celebrated each year on the last Wednesday of September, falls this year on the 30 September. To celebrate the day, IDF has put together a virtual seminar on its latest bulletin on school milk programmes, released in 2020.

The IDF Webinar: The contribution of school milk programmes to the nutrition of children worldwide, will be held on Wednesday 30 September 2020 – World School Milk Day – from 13:30 till 14:30 CET.

Open to all and free to attend, in addition to presenting the bulletin, speakers from around the globe, including the US and India, will present some case studies of current programmes and their important impact on childhood nutrition. The importance of school milk worldwide School milk programmes play an important role in the nutrition of children, helping to address issues of malnutrition and encouraging healthy eating habits.

Over 160 million children worldwide currently receive milk at schools, with dairy’s well-known natural nutrient-richness providing an abundant supply of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iodine, and vitamins B2 and B12.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 1.5 billion children – more than half of the world’s student population –were kept away from school due to pandemic response measures. The webinar will show examples of how, despite this disruption, the dairy sector has gone to great lengths to ensure the most vulnerable populations who depend on these programmes could still have access to vital dairy nutrition.

IDF Director General, Caroline Emond: “On World School Milk Day 2020, we’re proud to give the spotlight to IDF’s important work on school milk. It is vital that the importance of school milk programmes and their positive contribution to children’s health and nutrition is recognised. IDF with its vast network and knowledge on the topic is a key element in raising awareness of the importance of milk in schools. We look forward to sharing this knowledge further on World School Milk Day.”

About IDF’s school milk bulletin

Following on from its previous research into the area, earlier this year, IDF shared an extensive review of global school milk programmes, introducing data on their important impact on childhood nutrition. Compiling research from global experts in the field on different programmes around the world, IDF bulletin ‘The contribution of school milk programmes to the nutrition of children worldwide’ provides insights on the range of products, along with raw data and a literature review. Available to download now, the 2020 edition includes a review on the evidence of the nutritional benefits of these programmes, offering new perspectives into the global impact of school milk programmes.