Milk on the School Menu
An overview of milk and its distribution in schools worldwide, objectives and achievements
Social Desk
Iran’s school lunch program, with its accompanying glass of milk, dates back to the late 1950s. During that time, poverty was widespread in Iran, and many children experienced poor living conditions, malnutrition, and lacked food security. As a result, there were sparks of a school meal initiative inspired by leading industrialized countries, which also took root in Iran. The goal of this initiative was to ensure basic nutritional necessities for students. Over time, in the 1970s, the program expanded to include a glass of milk, biscuits, fruits, and bean stew.
According to available accounts, it appears that during the 1950s, 1960s, and the first half of the 1970s, free meals for students in Iran didn’t follow specific rules or patterns. However, since 1977, the distribution of free meals became more organized and expanded nationwide. This policy continued for several years following the Islamic Revolution of 1979. However, in the early 1990s, due to severe government budget restrictions, the free meal program for students came to an end.
Years later, as the country began to experience economic growth and improved living conditions, the long-abandoned school meal program was replaced with the free distribution of milk in schools, commonly known as “school milk.” The program was initially implemented on a trial basis in 2000, covering 420,000 students. In 2001, the plan was officially put into effect, starting in elementary schools in Tehran and gradually expanding nationwide to eventually cover 1,200,000 students who received free milk.
However, Iran’s school milk program faced various challenges and setbacks over the years, and in 2017, it came to an abrupt halt due to budgetary issues.
Now, after a six-year interruption, the country’s school milk program has been reinstated, with the aim of improving the physical and mental health of students. Aligned with the country’s Fundamental Reform Document of Education, the initiative focuses on promoting a culture of milk consumption. A culture much needed in Iran, since despite having the biggest capacity for producing dairy products in the Middle East, Iran has a per capita consumption of about 50 kilograms a year, which is approximately one-third of the global average. In the current phase of the program, elementary school students nationwide receive milk twice a week.
Sources proclaim that the current administration has allocated a budget of $50 million until mid-March 2024, sourced from the Targeted Subsidies Organization, and the milk containers provided to students will be unsalable and will feature printed messages regarding culture, health, and hygiene.
This offers a good opportunity to dig a little deeper into milk, posing questions like why milk is considered a superfood these days, why it is a dietary staple in many advanced countries, and why drinking it is considered imperative for young children.
White elixir
First, let’s take a look at the origins and reasons for consuming this wholesome drink. According to Hannah Velten, author of ‘Milk: A Global History,’ humans are “the only species to consume milk past weaning.”
One reason why milk came to be considered a favorable food can be traced back to our ancient ancestors who had access to it. The domestication of various animals like sheep, goats, cows, water buffaloes, reindeer, camels, horses, and donkeys provided our ancestors with a limited but valuable supply of milk. This modest resource, although incomparable to today’s standards, granted humans significant survival advantages.
For starters, milk served as a lifeline during times of food and water scarcity in Africa and the Middle East, offering sustenance when resources were scarce. It also offered crucial additional nutrients to diets that primarily relied on cereals. Moreover, milk provided a source of vitamin D and served as an alternative to strong sunlight. Additionally, it proved to be a safer alternative to water, free from parasites that could pose health risks. (Velten, 2010)
Ancient civilizations like the Sumerians, Egyptians, Persians, and Greeks obtained milk from domesticated animals and recognized its nutritional value, especially for infants. In the Classical Era, Hippocrates praised milk for its nourishing properties. Velten writes, “Milk was the ‘white elixir’ in many countries and mythologies.” She points out that even today, “people who have trouble sleeping are advised to drink a soothing mug of warm milk before bed to help ease them into sleep.”
During the Middle Ages, milk consumption continued, with monasteries playing a major role. The “white liquor” served as a crucial source of animal protein for individuals who couldn’t afford meat. While cows were the primary source, drinking milk from goats and sheep was also customary. However, fresh milk was typically reserved for the very young or elderly, with adults consuming it only if they were poor or sick. Instead, poor adults would often opt for buttermilk, whey, soured milk, or diluted milk. The limited availability of technology to prevent spoilage made fresh milk less common compared to other dairy products. In upper-class kitchens, fresh milk occasionally found its way into stews, although maintaining its freshness in large quantities proved to be a challenge, leading to the use of almond milk as a substitute. However, cheese held far greater significance as a staple food, particularly among the plebeian.
The major shift, however, came with the Industrial Revolution when, through increased production and better preservation methods, milk became more widely available and started appearing on more tables.
Nutrition facts
At this point, one might wonder what is in a glass of cow’s milk that makes it such an important beverage for us. Certainly, there must be something in this sweet, white thirst quencher that cannot be found elsewhere.
The nutritional composition of the white elixir is highly complex, as it contains nearly every essential nutrient for the body. A cup of whole cow’s milk, with 3.25 percent fat, provides 152 calories, 88 percent water, 8.14 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbohydrates (mainly in the form of lactose), 12 grams of sugar, and eight grams of fat.
Milk proteins, including casein and whey proteins, are of excellent quality. They are rich in essential amino acids and are easily digestible. Casein, which accounts for 80 percent of milk proteins, has the ability to enhance mineral absorption and may promote lower blood pressure. On the other hand, whey proteins make up the remaining 20 percent and are particularly high in branched-chain amino acids. These proteins have been associated with various health benefits, such as decreased blood pressure and improved mood.
Milk fat is also complex, consisting of numerous fatty acids, with saturated fats comprising about 70 percent of its content. However, whole milk contains small amounts of beneficial trans fats, such as conjugated linoleic acid.
Finally, carbohydrates in milk are mainly lactose, which is broken down into glucose and galactose in the body.
Therefore, not only does milk provide the body with the energy it needs to operate, but it also optimizes the body’s operation in many ways. Hence, it should truly be classified as a superfood.
Not for everyone
However, despite all its benefits, whole cow’s milk is not suitable for everyone. While it may be appropriate for some individuals, countless others either cannot digest it or choose not to consume it. Approximately 65 percent of the global population is affected by lactose intolerance, which makes them unable to digest lactose, a sugar present in milk and dairy products. Additionally, some people opt out of consuming milk or dairy due to dietary restrictions, health concerns, or ethical reasons.
Nevertheless, today, lactose-free milk is a reality, and there is a wide range of nondairy milk alternatives available. These include almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, soy milk, hemp milk, oat milk, and rice milk. Any one of these beverages, provided that they come with the same or similar nutrition facts, can serve as good replacements for the heavenly drink.
School milk
How students came to be served milk in schools needs a little bit of an introduction. As we all know, during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, child labor was a widespread practice. Young children were subjected to long hours of work in hazardous conditions, often for minimal or no pay. Poverty-stricken families would send their children to work in order to make ends meet, while orphaned or abandoned children had no one else to care for them. Factory owners willingly exploited children due to their perceived cheapness and disposability, paying them lower wages compared to adults. The rise of new technologies and factories created a demand for workers who could operate the machinery, leading to the employment of children who were small and nimble.
The young ones working in factories faced numerous health risks and poor living conditions. Due to insufficient funds to buy proper food and the physically demanding nature of their work, malnutrition and exhaustion were common among them. Working long hours in unsafe conditions, coupled with inadequate nutrition, made them susceptible to illness and serious injuries. At the time, little was done to protect children from its dangers. It was not until the 1870s, with the introduction of compulsory education laws, that child labor was finally outlawed, first in Britain, and then gradually the rest of the civilized world.
With child labor being banned and the rise of mandatory education for children, state-sponsored schools emerged. At first, these schools hosted students who lived nearby and would return home for lunch. However, as more and more kids enrolled in schools, some living at far distances and unable to return home for lunch and then come back for afternoon classes, a lunch break was devised. At this point, school authorities could observe which children were going hungry and suffering from malnutrition. Thus, they advocated for school meal programs that would provide a free meal to all students, regardless of their parental income.
Soon, such programs took root in various countries, including the UK, US, some European countries, Japan, and others. These programs aimed to provide children with adequate nutrition for their physical and mental growth, as well as their overall performance in school. Milk, being a wholesome and nourishing food, played a vital role in these programs.
In the UK, school milk schemes were introduced over a century ago to combat child malnutrition. The government viewed milk as the cheapest available food and aimed to increase its consumption among infants, children, and adults. Subsidized school milk became an important component of these initiatives, following the concept of “welfare milk” for economically disadvantaged households.
Similarly, in Japan, the school milk program was established after World War II in response to child malnourishment. Donations of milk were provided initially, and later, the School Lunch Law was passed to ensure the supply of locally produced liquid milk in schools with subsidies for farmers. School lunches in Japan have significantly improved the health and growth of school children.
Today, approximately 100 countries worldwide celebrate World School Milk Day annually, emphasizing the significance of children having access to proper nourishment for their physical and mental progress. Milk continues to play a vital role in school meal programs, providing essential nutrients that contribute to children’s learning and academic performance. Low-income children in many countries rely on these programs to meet their daily milk and dairy needs.
Iranian experience
Mohammed, born in 1952, recalls his second grade experience in 1960 when some children were given white cans of foreign oil, known as margarine, with its distinct taste, to take home. These nutrition programs during that time were an extension of a plan implemented in impoverished allied countries of the United States after World War II.
Mohammad Hassan also remembers his time in school, where the school caretaker would boil powdered milk in a large pot. The children would line up in the school corridor with plastic glasses, patiently waiting for their turn to receive a serving of milk.
However, children born in the 1960s had a slightly different perspective, as the nutrition and health situation of the country had slightly improved during their time.
Amine, who attended elementary school in Khuzestan Province, also recalls students being provided with bread and butter at school.
With the increase in oil revenues during the 1970s, the nutritional status of Iranian families improved compared to previous years. In 1977, the provision of free meals for young children in schools and infants up to two years old, along with their mothers, was put on the agenda, entitling over six million students across the country to receive free meals. As part of this program, students were provided with a daily morning meal consisting of milk, biscuits, and fruit, with the Ministry of Education in charge of the provision.
Now, with the long-established relationship between being well-fed and better performance at school, as well as the proven effects of dairy products against air pollution, which millions of Iranian kids are currently living with, we can only hope that not only will this round of the school milk program not face the same fate as the previous ones, but also that it expands to include a serving of milk every day children are in school.