Celebration takes place September 28
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared September 28 as World School Milk Day (WSMD) and Canada is getting involved in the celebrations.
Now in its 17th year, World School Milk Day celebrates the importance of milk and the many benefits it has for students.
"In 2016, it is still relevant to offer milk in schools so that children have the energy they need to learn," said Wally Smith, President of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), in a release. "Dairy farmers know how important student nutrition is to parents and teachers."
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Cow’s milk contains 16 essential nutrients important for growth and development. And throughout the school year, there are many instances for students to enjoy fresh, cold, local milk.
“There are approximately 200 days in the school year which means there are 200 lunches, or in other words, 200 opportunities for children to make healthy food choices,” DFC said in a release.
According to the International Dairy Federation, more than 139 million children across 52 countries benefit from milk in schools.
Here are how some other countries have celebrated World School Milk Day:
- In Australia, students illustrated why milk is important to them.
- In Iceland, the Milk Marketing Board held a drawing competition. The winners had their entries put on this year’s WSMD poster.
- In Kosovo, national TV stations covered events at Germia National Park. Kids were asked milk-related questions and received t-shirts for answering correctly.