ACACA Milk Mission

Objectives

To explore the avaliable sources, both local and Australian, of milk for proposed school milk programs (SMPs) in China.

To pursue cooperation between Australian dairy companies and relevant Chinese government agencies as well as dairy sectors in milk processing and supply, especially for proposed SMPs in China.

To strengthen established linkages between the Australian and Chinese institutions and to expand them to relevant agriculture and dairy processing sectors.

Findings

Milk production in China is low at less than 6,000 ktonnes (7 kg per capita) per year. A universal SMP would have to cover over 200 million children enrolled in kindergartens and schools. At 41.2 kg milk per child per year via the program, total milk required would be 8,245 ktonnes per year. For three highly productive dairy regions (Heilongjiang, Qingdao and Beijing) it was calculated that their SMP would use up 8%, 22% and 22%, respectively, of their current milk production, impairing their capacity to supply milk to non-dairy provinces. The proposed SMP would need 40,000 million 200 ml packages of UHT milk per year, requiring 1000 packaging lines for 200 ml package production.

There are 50 aseptic packaging lines in China (all sizes). Imports would be needed to sustain the goal of a universal Chinese SMP. The lack of milk clearly suggests that the proposed SMP should be reprioritised to include schools where the most needy children are enrolled, and to include powdered milk and other nutritious products such as fortified soymilk to meet children's nutritional needs. High priority needs to be given to improving milk production, for example, raising annual average milk yields from 1500 kg/head to the world average of 5,000 kg/head

Reference: Greenfield, H., Du, X., Owen, K. & Phillips, M. (2001) Feasibility of a school milk program for China. 17th International Congress of Nutrition, 27-31 August, Vienna. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 45 (Suppl. 1): 451