World “milk day” celebrations
The International Dairy Federation is celebrating World Milk Day by launching a new promotion section on its Nutrition Website. Milk is an important part of a healthy balanced diet and IDF and its members work together to convey this message to the public by promoting activities taking place on and around this day.
Dairy products remain an important dietary source of multiple micronutrients, including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iodine, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and riboflavin (vitamin B2). In addition, dairy products provide children with energy, high quality protein, and essential and non-essential fatty acids.
Milk and other dairy products, including cheese, yogurt, other fermented milks, and dairy desserts, provide energy, protein, micronutrients, and other natural compounds that support growth and development.
“World Milk Day provides an opportunity to focus attention on milk and to publicize activities connected with milk and dairy products. The fact that many countries choose to do this on the same day lends additional importance to individual national celebrations and shows that milk is a global food,” says Dr. Nico van Belzen, IDF Director General, commenting on this new project.
World Milk Day was initiated in 2001 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which actively encourages milk and dairy consumption as part of a daily diet. All aspects of milk are celebrated in many countries all over the world, and the number of countries and activities are increasing every year.
“The new section of the IDF Nutrition Website devoted to promotion aims to raise awareness of the importance of healthy diets. The global dairy sector is working together to provide products that are nutritious, economically viable and produced responsibly. Numerous scientific studies show that dairy foods as part of a healthy diet are associated with health effects. Creating awareness and disseminating the health benefits of dairy is vital and an electronic platform like ours is key in achieving this,” says Dr. Stefanie J.W.H. Oude Elferink, Chair of the IDF Standing Committee on Nutrition and Health.
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