Create a Healthier World
Celebrate the 9th Annual World School Milk Day on Wednesday, September 24!
What is it? An international, annual event that celebrates the importance of school milk in children's diets. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations actively supports and promotes it.
Who celebrates? Countries throughout the world! In the past, over 40 countries representing every continent celebrated, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, China, Iceland, Finland, Croatia, Indonesia and Oman.
Why celebrate World School Milk Day? It's a way to focus on helping children make healthy beverage choices and to bring our world closer together thereby raising children's global awareness.
What's more, both flavored and white milk provide calcium and eight other essential nutrients that growing children need. Research shows that children who drink milk at school are more likely to meet their daily nutrient needs. Milk provides three of the five nutrients identified as being low in children's diets in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – calcium, magnesium and potassium.
How do other countries celebrate? Celebrations are unique to each country and involve children in a variety of ways. Last year:
- Children from across Australia entered a creative drawing, writing and photography contest. Winning entries were displayed at the Royal Melbourne Show and Australia's Discover Dairy Web site.
- State-wide School Milk Clubs were launched in various schools in Gujarat, India. Eighty schools also participated in an inter-school, Milky Way to A Stronger Nation painting competition. The best three entries received prizes from this His Holy Highness, Lalji Maharaaj Shree Nrigendraprasadji.
- Over 6,000 children in China participated in an online nutrition competition that had 15 percent of the questions related to milk
- Two daylong dairy carnivals in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan used fun-filled activities that highlighted the benefits of drinking milk launch a School Milk Ambassador Program.
- In Zagreb, Croatia, children gathered in the main square where they presented their work celebrating milk with pictures and songs, and tasted milk and dairy products.
- Milk was distributed to over 3,600 children in Oman
How can you celebrate? Teachers and school nutrition professionals can promote World School Milk Day in the classroom and the cafeteria. Ideally, make it a school-wide day that involves school nutrition services, the school nurse, teachers, administrators, parents and the community!
School nutrition professionals can...
- Use World School Milk Day to kick off new dairy programs, such as the New Look of School Milk or dairy vending.
- Work with teachers on a "Milk Around the World Day." Invite classrooms to decorate the cafeteria with travel posters, beach ball globes, maps, etc.
- Feature a special menu with children's popular, favorite international foods
- Check out the School Nutrition Association's Global Child Nutrition Forum
Teachers can...
- Work with school nutrition services and hold a "School Milk Around the World" day. Have children create "School Milk Around the World" posters for the cafeteria
- Have students taste flavored milk and graph their responses to determine children's favorites.
- Teach Sir Milkford's and Lady Holly's Milk Group Little D's Nutrition Expedition™ activity to 2nd graders
- Encourage children to drink milk at lunch and snack time
- Have older children investigate and compare different countries' school milk and nutrition programs.
- Host a Milk Mustache photo shoot
- Download the Dairy Dazzling Calcium Carnival brochure and organize a school-wide event
