Tetra Pak Extends Support To Milk Programmes Worldwide

Two milk programmes in Ecuador and Morocco and expansion of existing programmes in Romania, Thailand, Mexico and Iran

Tetra Pak, a food processing and packaging solutions company, has revealed its support of two additional school milk programmes in Ecuador and Morocco and the expansion of existing programmes in Romania, Thailand, Mexico and Iran.

Through its Food for Development Office (FfDO) Tetra Pak works in close partnership with governments, development agencies, NGOs, local dairies and farmers to deliver six billion packages of milk to 50 million children in schools in over 50 countries around the world.

The total number of milk and other nutritious drinks supplied in Tetra Pak packages to school feeding programmes worldwide rose by 10% from 5.1 billion in 2007 to 5.7 billion in 2008. Volumes supplied to countries including Haiti, India, Russia and Thailand, increased by 22% during this period, from 2.3 billion to 2.8 billion.

The new school milk programme in Ecuador, launched in June 2009, provides UHT milk to 120,000 children in the cities of Guayaquil and Quito. Tetra Pak provides technical support to the programme funded by the government and managed by the Ministry of Education’s Programa de Alimentación Escolar by sharing its expertise in such areas as logistics, product handling and storage.

The Moroccan initiative, managed by a non-profit organization set up by the dairy Centrale Laitière, is focussed on two regions, targeting nearly 4,000 students in 37 primary schools with fortified milk. The long-term goal is to extend and scale up the programme throughout the country.

Ulla Holm, global director, Tetra Pak Food for Development Office, said: “It is very encouraging to see how governments, local business and NGOs value the importance of school milk programmes and are continuing to support programme growth. School feeding programmes can have a considerable impact on the local community and economy. Not only do they improve the health and learning capabilities of children, they often act as a catalyst for agricultural and economic development.”