Fonterra to end school milk program and support KickStart Breakfast
CEO Miles Hurrell said, “We’ve taken a good look at what the country is facing into, particularly in the context of COVID-19, and asked if our current way of doing things is supporting the people who need it most.
“We can see there’s a need for us to expand our thinking and take a more holistic approach that reaches more people – which is why we’re making these changes.”
As part of its new approach, Fonterra said it will grow KickStart Breakfast alongside partners Sanitarium and the Ministry of Social Development.
There are already more than 1,000 schools in KickStart Breakfast, and Hurrell said one of the coop’s immediate goals is to work with partners to have all decile 1 to 5 schools across the country in KickStart Breakfast - reaching another 200 schools.
Fonterra said it will also extend its supply of dairy nutrition further into communities by partnering with the NZ Food Network (NZFN) to distribute dairy products to charities, foodbanks and community partners.
NZ Food Network CEO Gavin Findlay said, “NZFN is delighted to partner with Fonterra to deliver much needed goodness into the communities of Aotearoa New Zealand. This complements our own desire of ‘getting food to where it’s needed most’. Working together, we will strive to ensure everyone has access to healthy, nutritious food.”
The new approach means Fonterra Milk for Schools, which is for primary-school-aged children, will wrap-up at the end of this year.
Fonterra said it believes it can provide more kids access to dairy nutrition by growing KickStart Breakfast - which is open to all schools, of all ages and deciles, across the country.
“We’ve got a lot of affection for Fonterra Milk for Schools, but we have to recognise through this refresh there’s a much more efficient, environmentally focused and impactful way to get milk to more kids each day,” Hurrell said.
“It will be an end of an era and we’re proud of what Fonterra Milk for Schools has achieved - but times have changed and so will we, to ensure we’re always doing our best for those who need it the most.”
Fonterra will now talk with schools in Fonterra Milk for Schools that aren’t also already members of KickStart Breakfast, to see if joining KickStart Breakfast is right for them for the 2021 school year.
