Hands up in Northland for Milk For Schools

A daily dose of dairy nutrition will be in the timetable for students at Northland’s Kaiwaka Primary School from next month as the school becomes one of the first to take part in Fonterra Milk for Schools.

Principal Barbara Bronlund says children, staff and parents at the 80-student school cannot wait to get stuck into the first delivery of special Anchor 250ml packs.

“I’m thrilled that our school will be able to work alongside Fonterra to make sure our students get the benefit of milk in the school week. We have a healthy food policy at Kaiwaka Primary School and discourage any drinks other than water. Milk will provide a fantastic alternative that will be good for the kids,” says Ms Bronlund.

Fonterra Milk for Schools is one part of the plan to make milk more affordable and accessible to all NZers, says CEO Theo Spierings.

“After a busy summer working on all the details and making many visits to Northland, our team is delighted to encourage primary schools to get on board and help us make a real difference to the health of future generations of Kiwis.

“We’re very proud of this programme and it seems the people of Northland are just as excited as us. Milk is one of the most nutritious foods there is and we want to do what we can to make sure Kiwi kids grow up drinking it every day,” says Mr Spierings.

Sixty-seven Northland schools have already registered to take part in the pilot programme. Fonterra will be monitoring the pilot over the first three terms to establish how to best introduce it nationwide and iron out practical details such as getting the milk to schools, keeping it cool and recycling the packaging.

Schools that would like to participate in the pilot need to register by 29th February 2012. Schools that apply after this date will enter the pilot during Term Two. To find out more or register a school, visit www.fonterramilkforschools.com.