Free nursery milk: your thoughts?

I don't know, but free milk ( warm and slightly off in summer, long life and vile on days the milkman didn't come) put me off drinking milk for life. However, if it's going to be provided, it should be for everyone- too hard to administer, too embarrassing to claim, too divisive in the classroom - if not.

I feel that free milk should only be given to children who are in reciept of state funding. Ie. nursery vouchers or are at state school nursery. The money saved by not paying for the milk of under threes could go into the nursery voucher scheme or child tax credits.

My daughter's nursery could easily provide the milk out of the current fees. I find it silly that under ones get free milk when they need formula milk.

I would like free milk to be provided for the whole of reception. Its complex when some children in a reception class get free milk and others don't.

Isn't this a rather antiquated practice? I know that some children might not get the recommended amount of milk/per day if they didn't get free milk, but most would..... Could it just be available for children on free school meals or those that have a medical dietary requirement for it?

I am not sure that these days most children drink milk. DS does but that's because he is still rather fussy about his food, whereas his considerably younger sister doesn't, but then she gets calcium in green veggies, oily fish and eggs (none of which her brother will eat!). Surely children who eat healthy diets don't really need it even in their younger years?

In fact there would probably be more benefit in giving it to teenagers, particularly girls, who often eat/drink a lot less than their necessary-to-healthy-growth/bones development requires!

I have children who recieve the free milk at the preschool they attend, I think the suggestion of capping the amount that can be claimed back and the suggestion of issuing evouchers to be redeemed by an approved stockist (pref local milkman) are both good ideas.

I'm not sure why there is a cut off that children under 5 automatically need and recieve the free milk but over fives don't?

I would have thought a far more cost effective way of doing it would be for the Nurseries to keep a register of the number of people they are giving the milk to, and claim back a more realistic cost..... I buy 4 litres of milk for £1.80... about 7p per 1/3 of a pint if my maths is right.

I would imagine that most nurseries would be getting daily deliveries from a milkman rather than someone scooting off to Tesco to pick up supplies every day. Milk from a milkman is much more expensive, but probably the only practical solution for busy nurseries.

If this scheme was discontinued, I wonder how much impact it could have on the British dairy industry, and what that would cost the government?

What is the proven benefit of milk? Or is it just something to drink which is filling?
(I have nothing against milk, my kids drink loads). I just wonder why milk rather than something else.