Dairy Council set to extend milk programme to secondary schools

By Ray Ryan

Saturday, September 04, 2010

THE National Dairy Council expects that some 1,400 primary schools will take part in the school milk and dairy programme in the coming year.

Up to now it has been offered mainly to primary school pupils, but this year for the first time all 750 secondary schools in the state have been invited to participate.

Details of the programme were sent to secondary schools this week as well as to 3,300 primary schools, with further information available at www.schoolmilk.ie

NDC chief executive Helen Brophy said research shows that a significant proportion of Irish teenagers do not have adequate calcium intake.

It is clear teenagers as well as children need all the encouragement they can get to switch to healthier snacking habits and more regularly balanced diets.

Ms Brophy said it is also clear the NDC needs to explore new and creative ways of engaging with secondary school students and their teachers.

Offering the school milk and dairy programme to secondary school students and building awareness of the important of dairy dietary guidelines will help to combat the nutritional gap which exists amongst many teenagers, she said.

A national survey has revealed that 42% and 23% of teenage girls and boys (13-17 years) respectively had inadequate calcium intakes. As a result, the NDC aims to educate students on the health and nutritional benefits of milk and dairy products in an innovative and educational way. As part of that aim, the NDC has launched a new national competition for secondary school students to experience the creativity, challenges and thrills of working in an advertising agency.

The "Milk It" Awards gives students the chance to work in teams, setting up their own "advertising agency" of up to six students. lDetails are available at www.milkitawards.ie

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, September 04, 2010