Fonterra mops up with milk in schools relaunch
NO POINT crying over spilt milk – Fonterra will start its rollout of Milk for Schools in Wellington next week despite the dairy giant’s continuing PR crisis.
The first of 80 schools in the region will start distributing the free milk supplied by Fonterra to pupils on Monday, after this week’s official launch was cancelled.
The Fonterra Milk for Schools programme was announced in December last year, and has al- ready been introduced to 600 schools in the South Island, Waikato and Northland.
The Wellington rollout, which involves an educational visit from Fonterra staff and the delivery of fridges and recycling bins, should be complete by the end of term 3, which finishes in September.
Fonterra announced last weekend that a dirty pipe had potentially contaminated 38 tonnes of whey powder with a bacterium that can cause botulism.
Carly Robinson, its director of sustainability and social respons- ibility, said all schools were contacted on Monday to confirm that the scare did not affect products supplied under the Milk for Schools programme.
However, its official launch in Wellington was cancelled ‘‘to ensure the business could focus its efforts on resolving this quality issue’’.
Lyall Bay School was due to host the launch on Thursday, and principal Dennis Thompson said that, although the children involved were disappointed about the cancellation, the school was pleased Fonterra was continuing with the programme.
Each week the school will receive about 2000 160ml packs of milk, to be handed out after lunch each day by ‘‘milk ambassadors’’ and parent helpers.
Mr Thompson said it was an easy decision for the school to sign up, because 91 per cent of the parents it surveyed supported the idea. As well as being good for the children’s health, it was a good teaching opportunity.
‘‘Education is part of it. They’re teaching them about recycling, they’re being practical about recycling, and we’ll be pink-stickered if the recycling isn’t up to their standard.’’
Sam Murphy, 9, and Gwyneth Martin-Greig, 10, are two of Lyall Bay School’s milk ambassadors and are already sold on the idea.
Free milk was last seen in primary schools 44 years ago. It was given to schoolchildren between 1937 and 1967.
Each day milk monitors gave a half-pint (284ml) to each pupil. By 1940, milk was available to 80 per cent of schoolchildren.