Current situation and future prospects for the National Scholl Milk Programme in China
2006
Tou, K.(Nihon Univ., Tokyo (Japan)) | Kobayashi, S. | Koizumi, S.
This article is to clarify the current situation and future prospects for the National School Milk Programme in China, which was officially inaugurated in late 1999. The objectives of this Programme are to improve the health of Chinese people, especially school children, and also to support the development of the dairy sector which is seen as an avenue to eliminate rural poverty. Forty-nine dairies were designated as accredited manufacturers, which means they may supply school milk. Within three years' of the program's inception, the number of children enrolled in the programme had increased five times from around 400,000 to approximately two million. In 2002, there were 4,468 primary and junior high schools in the program, and these were serving school milk for 210 days each year. Although the programme contributes to the improvement of children's health and the structure of agriculture to some extent, there are several problems that will be obstacles for further development. First, further improvement of milk quality is necessary. Second, a survey is needed to understand the accurate situation of Lactose intolerance among school children. Third, a subsidy to reduce prices is vital to promote the programme in the rural areas where parents can not afford to pay for the school milk.
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