December 11, 1997
(Forest Resources and Agrifoods)

The following statement was issued today by Kevin Aylward, Minister of Forest Resources and Agrifoods. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I would like to inform the Honourable members of the House of Assembly of the progress made by the School Milk Program to encourage the consumption of milk by children in schools across the province.

Prior to the establishment of this program in 1991, only 90,000 litres of milk was consumed in schools in this province. With the introduction of the School Milk Program in the 1996/97 school year, milk consumption was over 1,022,000 litres - representing an increase of over 1,035 per cent.

Not only are the students drinking milk at school since the inception of the program, students are drinking 740 per cent more milk over the entire seven-day week. That is, drinking milk has become a healthy habit within the home.

For the 1997/98 school year there are 359 schools enrolled in this program, which represents 92 per cent of the schools in the province. And, there are approximately 97,163 students registered in the School Milk Program which represents 96 per cent of all the students in the province.

The School Milk Program allows students to purchase milk at the school at a discount of 60 per cent below normal retail prices. Newfoundland schools have the second lowest price for chocolate milk and fourth lowest for white milk in Canada.

Making milk available at this affordable price is only possible through the continued support of the dairy farmers, milk processors and this government. In 1996/97, the 57 farmers in the province contributed approximately $500,000 to the program in cash and reduced prices. The two milk processors, Central Dairies and Brookfield Dairy Group contributed approximately $500,000 through subsidized milk, for a total contribution from the industry of over $1 million.

The benefits of this program to our school-aged children in terms of health and nutrition and, as recent research confirms, the children's academic performance, are countless. I am pleased that this government is able to contribute to the program in a meaningful way. The government has maintained a contribution of $200,000 towards the School Milk Program.

I ask my Honourable colleagues to join me in commending all the dairy farmers and Central Dairies and Brookfield Dairy Group for their tremendous support and contribution to the school children of the province.

As well, I wish to congratulate the Newfoundland and Labrador School Milk Foundation, its volunteer directors and employees, on their contribution and tremendous effort they put into the program. And most of all, I would like to commend the children and the teachers of this province for their participation in the program.