Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – The Vietnam Dairy Associationhas asked the Government and ministries to introduce new dairy products for theschool milk programme aside from fresh milk to ensure adequate nutrition and adiversified diet for children.

Tran Quang Trung, chairman of the association, said that thetarget of the school milk programme was to cut malnutrition among children.

Fresh milk, as well as other dairy products such as yogurt,seed milk and cheese, met the criteria of protein, iron, calcium, and vitaminD. Parents had been advised to supplement their children’s diet with a varietyof dairy products as a way of diversifying their diets.

Children who were lactose intolerant and could not digestfresh milk could enjoy seed milk instead, he said.

The school milk programme was launched in 2016. It aims toprovide all children in pre-schools and primary schools with milk every day toreduce malnutrition, improve their health and physical strength and contributeto human resources in the future.

As targeted, all students in poor districts and 70 percent ofstudents in urban and rural areas will be provided with milk by 2020, helpingincrease the heights of boys and girls by 1.5 and 2 centimetres respectively.

To implement the programme, the Government has called onorganisations, enterprises and individuals to participate, especially in poorareas.

However, only 13 cities and provinces have implemented theprogramme.

Trung said the addition of dairy products wouldcreate more chances for enterprises to participate in the programme. This meantmore Vietnamese children would have milk every day, especially those indisadvantaged areas.

In reply to questions about the quality of dairy productssuch as yoghurt and cheese, which have a short shelf life, Trung said dairysuppliers should take measures to guarantee the quality of their products.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam had madesignificant progress in improving the health of children. However, a quarter ofVietnamese children still suffered from malnutrition, while the average heightof Vietnamese people was still lower than the global average: men by 13cm andwomen by 10cm.

The school milk programme aims to benefit nearly 12 millionpreschoolers and elementary school students nationwide.

As many as 60 countries worldwide have responded to WorldSchool Milk Day launched by the United Nations Food and AgricultureOrganisation. Of them, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, the UK andThailand use fresh milk.-VNS/VNA