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One hundred and fifty (150) junior primary students from St Joseph’s will use ‘World School Milk Day’ on 27 September to learn more about making healthy food choices and encourage kids and adults alike to substantially boost their daily calcium intake.
The school has joined with one of Australia’s leading dairy cooperatives, Dairy Farmers, to put together a program of fun and informative activities to celebrate the day.
The day’s activities will include a visit from cuddly Dairy Farmers mascot Miss Moo and culminate in a prize ceremony for students who are currently hard at work on a colouring competition organised by Dairy Farmers.
Prizes will include Kids Milk Cooler Bags and giveaways of 300ml Moove chocolate-flavoured milk and Kids Milk Straws.
St Joseph’s school principal Laurie Sammut said he and his staff had been proactive in incorporating messages about healthy food choices, and the importance of dairy products, in classroom health lessons.
“’Moo drinks’ are sold to the children through the school canteen and special dairy snacks are provided in Out of School Hours Care,” Mr Sammut said.
“To highlight the importance of calcium in the diet, this year the children at St Joseph’s have made ‘Miss Moo’ a highlight in their school canteen.”
According to Lisa Miles, Dairy Farmers’ General Manager, Marketing and Innovation, research shows that around 10 million Australians do not receive enough calcium in their daily diet for good health.
“Recently, a decision by the National Health and Medical Research Council to increase the recommended daily intake has widened the gap between how much calcium most Australians receive – and what they should be receiving,” Ms Miles said.
The new calcium guidelines for school-age children and adults are between 1,000 and 1,300 mg calcium per day, depending on age and gender – about 300 mg per day higher than the previous recommended values.
The extent of the ‘calcium gap’ is highlighted by the results of the last National Nutrition Survey. In that survey, more than one in two Australian children and women fell short of the old recommended dietary intake (RDI) for calcium on the day of the survey.
Ms Miles said that while the issue of inadequate calcium was serious, there were lots of non-serious ways to combat the problem.
“Mealtimes present an opportunity not just to nourish ourselves, but also a chance for families to bond,” Ms Miles said.
“By including children in the food preparation process, you help to encourage good eating habits and a greater appreciation of food. Healthy pizza topped with plenty of vegetables and cheese that kids can make themselves is both a meal and a family activity in one.
“Events like World School Milk Day are also a great way for schools and families to teach children more about healthy food and healthy food preparation.”
The School Canteen Association has classified canteen foods green, amber or redaccording to their healthiness.
Dairy Farmers products which fit the green – or healthiest – category include Lite White milk, Shape, Dairy Farmers Skim, Moove, OAK and the Ski range of yoghurts.
Also on the menu is the new “Kids Selections” range, which includes dairy snacks and milk with the importance of great tasting, nutritious choices in mind.
