36 food Marketing & Technology • December 2012 The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 115 million school-aged children do not go to school. Nine- ty seven per cent of these children live in developing countries. For poor families the food that the child gets at school means that the family gets at least one meal a day, and in many cases this is a good enough reason to send a child to school. Tetra Pak has been involved in school milk feeding pro- grammes around the world for the past 50 years. In 2011, 6.7 billion packages of milk and other nutritious drinks in Tetra Pak packages were provided to 50.8 million school children in 55 countries. As part of our work in this area, we develop pro- gramme initiatives as well as providing technical support by sharing expertise and best practices on programme implemen- tation. The importance of school milk and school feeding pro- grammes more generally is two-fold. In the first instance, the programmes deliver health and educational benefits but they are also an important catalyst for economic growth, technology transfer and job creation. I will use this article to explore these two facets to school milk programmes in more detail, explain- ing why, as an industry it is important we continue to invest. Importance of milk The case for supplying milk to children at school in develop- ing countries for health and educational reasons is compelling. Milk is one of the most nutritious foods children can drink, con- taining 18 of 22 of the nutrients they need, including vitamins, minerals proteins, fats, sugars, and carbohydrates. Many stud- ies have established a clear link between improved nutrition and better educational performance. For example, a University of Medical Sciences and Technol- ogy health study looking at the impact of the school milk programme in Sudan found nutritional and educational improvement in those children who received school milk. The findings found that: • IQ results rose by 20 per cent • Thinness fell from 32 per cent to 22 per cent • The number classified as underweight halved, from 16 per cent to 8 per cent • The number classified as stunted fell from 11 per cent to 5 per cent In many developing regions, milk can be the main source of nutrition and so plays a critical part in a child’s healthy diet. In developing markets where a chilled supply chain cannot be assured, using the aseptic packaging techniques pioneered by Tetra Pak can keep milk safe, tasty and nutritious for many months without needing to be refrigerated. In areas where other foodstuffs may be in short supply this can be invaluable. Supporting the dairy industry School milk programmes do not just sustain children at school but also provide a guaranteed source of demand to local dairies, while also encouraging investment, expansion and economic growth in underdeveloped rural communities. A long-term and proactive view of school milk programmes is essential for progress. While nutritional benefits can be achieved relatively quickly, economic impacts will be more gradual so a long-term approach is essential. In China, school milk programmes have long been seen as a way to expand dairy capacity, both locally and nationally. Projects require that the milk provided to schools is locally produced, processed and packed. Investment is made in better farming and manage- ment practices as well as infrastructure to enable local sources of supply to meet demand, helping to create a far more efficient national dairy industry. Packaging School Milk Programs: Important for Children and Industry Development by Ulla Holm
Transcript
36 food Marketing & Technology • December 2012
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 115 million school-aged children do not go to school. Nine-ty seven per cent of these children live in developing countries. For poor families the food that the child gets at school means that the family gets at least one meal a day, and in many cases this is a good enough reason to send a child to school. Tetra Pak has been involved in school milk feeding pro-grammes around the world for the past 50 years. In 2011, 6.7 billion packages of milk and other nutritious drinks in Tetra Pak packages were provided to 50.8 million school children in 55 countries. As part of our work in this area, we develop pro-gramme initiatives as well as providing technical support by sharing expertise and best practices on programme implemen-tation. The importance of school milk and school feeding pro-grammes more generally is two-fold. In the first instance, the programmes deliver health and educational benefits but they are also an important catalyst for economic growth, technology transfer and job creation. I will use this article to explore these two facets to school milk programmes in more detail, explain-ing why, as an industry it is important we continue to invest.
Importance of milk
The case for supplying milk to children at school in develop-ing countries for health and educational reasons is compelling.
Milk is one of the most nutritious foods children can drink, con-taining 18 of 22 of the nutrients they need, including vitamins, minerals proteins, fats, sugars, and carbohydrates. Many stud-ies have established a clear link between improved nutrition and better educational performance.
For example, a University of Medical Sciences and Technol-ogy health study looking at the impact of the school milk programme in Sudan found nutritional and educational improvement in those children who received school milk. The findings found that:
• IQ results rose by 20 per cent• Thinness fell from 32 per cent to 22 per cent• The number classified as underweight halved, from 16 per
cent to 8 per cent• The number classified as stunted fell from 11 per cent to 5 per
cent
In many developing regions, milk can be the main source of nutrition and so plays a critical part in a child’s healthy diet. In developing markets where a chilled supply chain cannot be assured, using the aseptic packaging techniques pioneered by Tetra Pak can keep milk safe, tasty and nutritious for many months without needing to be refrigerated. In areas where other foodstuffs may be in short supply this can be invaluable.
Supporting the dairy industry
School milk programmes do not just sustain children at school but also provide a guaranteed source of demand to local dairies, while also encouraging investment, expansion and economic growth in underdeveloped rural communities.
A long-term and proactive view of school milk programmes is essential for progress. While nutritional benefits can be achieved relatively quickly, economic impacts will be more gradual so a long-term approach is essential. In China, school milk programmes have long been seen as a way to expand dairy capacity, both locally and nationally. Projects require that the milk provided to schools is locally produced, processed and packed. Investment is made in better farming and manage-ment practices as well as infrastructure to enable local sources of supply to meet demand, helping to create a far more efficient national dairy industry.
Packaging
School Milk Programs: Important for Children and Industry Developmentby Ulla Holm
has supported the roll out of RTD packages around the world. From the Tetra Pak portfolio, the Tetra Brik® Aseptic package is the most popular package for school feeding programmes due to its low cost and resource efficiency. The 200ml portion package is the most popular choice, and 125ml and 250ml packages are often used while the packages can be designed to carry messages promoting important health and education messages for children.
Looking to the future
Our latest Dairy Index earlier this year revealed that around 2.7 billion low-income people in developing coun-tries are increasingly concerned about safe and healthy food, particularly for their children. To address this, it is imperative that companies within the dairy industry along with key partners in government, development agencies and NGOs continue to work together closely. As a group, their overriding objective must be to secure the future of the dairy industry and ensure children throughout the world have access to safe and nutritious food.
Key No. 80241
Kenya is another example of where the government has utilised the school milk programme concept to re-invigorate a declining dairy industry and generate new jobs. A school milk programme that ran from 1979 to 1998 reached 4.3 mil-lion Kenyan children, helped to increase classroom attendance, grew dairy herd sizes and increased the production of liquid dairy products from 1 million tons to 2.5 million tons during that period. Since it ended, however, milk consumption has fallen and the dairy industry has suffered significant job losses. In an effort to reverse this, Tetra Pak has partnered with the Kenyan government on a school milk programme to reinvigo-rate the industry which has grown to include around 80,000 children with plans for further expansion. This example goes to demonstrate how the dairy industry in certain parts of the world is relatively fragile and the importance of school milk programmes is stimulating demand.
Providing food safely
Moving away from the broader industry benefits of school feeding programmes a key element to any programme is to deliver the packages safely. This is done using a ready-to-drink (RTD) format as experience has demonstrated the benefits of RTD packaged foods in satisfying both nutritional, food safety and programme management concerns.
Aseptic sterilization, a technology pioneered by Tetra Pak, allows milk to be provided to people globally, regardless of whether a chilled supply chain is in place. This technology
Phot
os: T
etra
Pak
The Author:Ulla Holm is Director, Food for Development Office with Tetra Pak Sweden
DCS meet highest requirements
in terms of:
+ CROSS CONTAMINATION &
ALLERGEN CONTROL
+ HYGIENIC DESIGN
+ ENERGY EFFICIENCY
+ FLEXIBILITY
Key
No.
782
90
Trend-setting Tomatoes PouchesThe number-one European foodservice supplier of tomato sauces in pouch-es, Italagro, adds value from production through to the kitchen.
Italagro SA is literally a mover and shaker in the European foodservice sector, as the leading provider of tomato sauces in pouches. Selling over 7 million of its 3 kg pouches of sauce per year, this member of the HIT Group Portugal grew its volume in this business area by 20% during 2011 over the previous year. In the UK Italagro boasts an estimated 80% share of the pizza sauce market for example. The Portuguese specialist’s move from cans to Cryovac® pouches for tomato-based products brings benefits across the board. These stretch from the producer to the customer, user and consumer, embracing storage and usage convenience, quality assurance, cost-effectiveness and minimal waste disposal expense.
Protection from day one
Cryovac® FS7155 hot fill pouches, teamed with the Sealed Air Cryovac® VPP 3002 Vertical Form-Fill Seal machine, offer the optimal ingredients for the proven Italagro recipe for commercial success. Italagro’s implementation of this packaging solution for its tomato-based products, comprising pasta and pizza sauces, ketchup and barbecue relishes, already displays advantages in the factory. A servomotor drive integrated into the Sealed Air Cryovac® Vertical Form-Fill Seal machine ensures accurate and fast film feed, resulting in capability of processing up to 40 packages per minute. Advanced sealing technology allows the fast sealing, cooling and cutting of finished pouches. The robust, abuse-resistant Cryovac® pouches ensure that the contents’ freshness and flavor are protected from day one and that they withstand pas-teurisation up to 100ºC. During processing and handling in customer kitchens the pouches prove extremely user-friendly and cost-effective, with a weight amounting to a tenth of that of the equivalent capacity metal container when empty and the welcome absence of dangerous jagged edges.
Success sealed by big names
The successful shift from cans to pouches achieves the Sealed Air and Italagro shared goal to deliver quality food products in a sector where the demand for excellent quality and measurable value are very high. Big-name customers, including leading pizza chains, along with large UK retailers, have responded very positively to the resultant products. Martin Stilwell, Italagro CEO comments, “We took the initia-tive in the move away from cans, and pouches now represent the only packaging option for new business. Wherever we still feel resistance, we keep trying and are optimistic that we will succeed.” The value added is extensive and quantifiable. Easy storage comes from a space requirement 40% below that of cans. Virtually 100% of the pouches’ contents is used, directly targeting ambitious commercial and environ-mental objectives for waste reduction. A longer-shelf life brings further efficiency, as do easy identification, handling, opening and disposal.
