Scotland starts milk and healthy snack scheme for pre-school children
The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme replaces the UK Nursery Milk Scheme, making more healthy produce available for more children.
Unlike the UK scheme, a piece of fruit or portion of vegetables will also be offered. Children who cannot drink cow’s milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons will be offered a specified non-dairy alternative.
More than 116,000 children are already signed up for the new scheme and the Scottish Government is expected to provide around 9-12m funding to local authorities.
Clare Haughey, minister for children and young people in Scotland, said: “We know that diet impacts on children’s health and their ability to learn. This scheme not only provides eligible pre-school children in Scotland with access to excellent sources of nutrition but we hope it will set up healthy eating habits for life.
“With this expanded and improved offer, the Scottish Government has gone further than the UK scheme. Working in partnership with COSLA and other key partners, we are investing in children’s outcomes, providing increased money up-front, and offering a wider range of healthy produce while supporting our vital Scottish food and drink sector.”