"The goal is school milk for all children”

Claes Nermark has worked for many years within Tetra Pak to encourage the market companies to support school milk projects worldwide. Retired since 2002, he still continues his commitment to milk for school children. In June he will be one of the principal speakers in the European School Milk Conference in Stockholm.

Tetra Pak has been active in various school milk programs worldwide for almost 25 years. In many respects this is a very long term and demanding work that builds on persuasion and understanding on the part of public authorities and school organisations. At Tetra Pak Claes Nermark prepared a complete internal package with presentation folders, magazine and video about how to launch and work with a school milk project.

- It is often politically as well as financially hard to initiate school milk programmes, but with sensible arguments we have on many occasions been able to start such projects together with our customers, says Claes Nermark. Sweden is unique in the world in that school meals and milk is paid with public funds.

- The fact that the school milk and the lunch is served without direct costs to the pupils/parents means a lot indeed. In many countries the parents must pay for the costs, or some relief organisation makes a contribution.

Three-course lunch

In most other countries the consumption of milk is significantly lower since the costs for school lunch and milk are carried by the parents. But there are exceptions. Claes Nermark tells us about a visit to the Czech Republic.

- This is a wonderful example. Five or six years ago I visited a school that gave a very run-down first impression but - as it appeared - offered its pupils one of the best examples of a school luncheon that I have seen: The school served a three-course lunch, and the children of course drank milk. The children paid with a plastic card that had been loaded by the parents. We could teach them nothing. More than 80 percent of all school children in the Czech republic get school lunch and milk.

Tetra Pak has sponsored international conferences on school milk for several years. Claes Nermark says that it is important to maintain knowledge about the lunch and about milk among public authorities and other decision-makers. It is important to get more support for the idea of milk in the schools, so the children get good nutrition and have energy for the whole day.

Claes Nermark does not try to conceal the purpose of Tetra Pak’s commitment to school milk: To sell more packages.

- Just like our customers, we realise that it is important to teach the children to drink milk, and establish this habit early in the schools, says Claes Nermark. It’s good for the milk farmers, good for the dairies and the package suppliers – but best of all for the children.

For more information, please contact:

- Eva Milton, Tetra Pak Sweden