National Milk Board to launch probe into sale of free school milk online
A former member of the National Milk Board has called for an investigation into the sale of free school milk on online shopping platforms.
Naiyarit Jamlay said on Saturday that milk is distributed for free to all Thai students from kindergarteners to sixth graders, and it is strictly not for sale.
He said if suppliers to the National School Milk programme are selling cartons of the UHT milk intended for schoolchildren, they are violating rules and risk being banned.
A source, who supplies milk to the project, said any supplier found breaking the rule by selling the milk commercially will be banned from this year’s project.
School milk suppliers are expected to start applying for the project soon in time for the start of the new academic year in mid-May, the source said.
Naiyarit said a supplier was caught and banned previously for exporting school milk to a neighbouring country.
However, he said he was not sure who was behind the sale of school milk through online platforms this time.
“It could be parents or ordinary people. The relevant agencies need to investigate to find the facts. If the sellers are business operators, then they will be punished,” Naiyarit said.
Every carton of the free UHT milk for students is printed with the message “School Milk, supported by the government” with a bright red “Not for Sale” stamp.
School milk is distributed in long-life UHT packs for parents to pick up from schools.
Thailand’s school milk project, which was first introduced in 1992, costs the government about 14 billion baht per year.
Naiyarit, a former member of the Milk Board, is currently chairman of the National Farmers Council. He was also formerly chief executive of the Dairy Co-operatives Federation of Thailand Limited.
