School Milk Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Background

School milk programs have a long history in Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent decades, the region has undergone a nutrition transition characterized by a rise in children’s overweight/obesity, which adds new challenges for school-based programs.

Objectives

This article aimed to unpack how school milk programs in the region have fared as of 2022 and what drives their success (or lack thereof).

Methods

Data from the Global Survey of School Meal Programs were analyzed descriptively to broadly summarize the current state of school feeding programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. To probe the status of school milk programs, key informant interviews were conducted with school milk stakeholders in 7 countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras), and these interviews were analyzed for thematic elements.

Results

Five countries were found to have operational school milk programs, whereas the programs in Guatemala and Honduras have not (thus far) endured. Programs often prioritized and took pride in local milk procurement, although there was sometimes incongruity between objectives to improve children’s diets and stimulate local agricultural development. Program implementers grapple with the taste, texture, and safety of milk, and it can be challenging to reconcile concerns over child obesity and the need to ensure the milk is appealing and accepted.

Conclusions

In conclusion, programs seek creatively to overcome the aformentioned challenges wherever there is fiscal capacity and political will.