The initiative, is part of GAIN’s Access to Better Dairy project which targets nutritional enhancement of vulnerable groups, primarily children and women by offering essential proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Speaking during pre-launching event in Dar es Salaam recently, Dr Winfrida Mayilla, programmes manager, GAIN Tanzania said that the fortified yoghurt is a key nutritional source for school-going children, especially in low-income groups as many yoghurts in the market are sold expensively with children failing to afford them.
She said milk drinking had potential in elevating cognitive and learning ability among pipuls thus improving academicperformance.
“To continue running sustainable milk programme to pupils, we need to have collective intervention from various stakeholders and donors, we thank the government our partners in ensuring that the initiative is successful ” she noted.
She said GAIN’s is committed to creating solutions that are viable for businesses, environmentally friendly, and socially beneficial.
“GAIN’s strategy aims to transform food systems to make healthier diets from sustainable food systems accessible to all people and especially those who are most vulnerable to shocks. We aim to improve the access of people to nutritionally enhanced staple foods, improve the access of people to healthier diets, and support positive food system change in 10 countries," she explained.
Since 2010, working through alliances and with multi-sectoral partners, GAIN continues to provide targeted technical, financial, and policy support to key participants in the food system to contribute to nutritional outcomes in Tanzania. These include the government at the national and sub-national levels, the private sector, civil society, local and international development partners, and consumer groups."
Dr George Msalya, registrar of the Tanzania Dairy Board(TDB) the envisaged initiative was of paramount importance as it complement the government’s efforts in helping improve students’ health and academic performance.
“We all know that milk is a good nutritious food and a source of income as well, the government through TDB and partners is implementing a nationwide school milk programme to ensure that our children are healthy,” he added.
He said: “This fortified yoghurt is important and will help to improve children's health, what is much important is that he products will be sold at low price of 500/-.”
Dr Msalya said the product has been introduced and pre-launched in Dar es Salaam and few days to come it will officially launched in other areas.
He commended GAIN for supporting the timely nutritious campaign which focuses on increasing milk drinking culture from grassroots levels across the country.
Eulalia Marandu, sales and marketing officer at the Kilimanjaro-based Galax Food and Beverages Ltd said: we came up with this product to support the government initiatives to fight malnutrition
“We designed and now producing small-sized fortified yogurt milk sachets that will be marketed to the pupils at the patriotic prices of around 500/- which we see that it is affordable," she said.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an individual should drink at least 200 litres of milk in a year, the relevant statistics is still very discouraging in Tanzania, currently at only 54 litres in a year.
A number of academic and health researchers have also proved that the school milk feeding programmes were very helpful in improving children’s mental-cognitive and physical health status apart from playing a key role in containing pupils’ school absenteeism.
Despite the significant progress made by Tanzania in addressing all forms of malnutrition among children under five over the last decade, the prevalence of chronic malnutrition in the country is still high, with stunting at 30 percent (Ministry of Health and National Bureau of Statistics, 2022).
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