Providing milk to children in developing nations through school feeding programs (SFP) has short tem benefits such as a alleviating hunger and improving the cognitive and educational abilities of children (Jomaa, McDonnell, & Probat, 2011). School feeding programs, and school milk programs (SMP) also play a role in the marketing of dairy products by introducing milk and other dairy products into the diet of children who will: 1) influence their parents’ purchasing behavior, and 2) become life time consumers of such products.

 

Marketing milk and milk products to schoolchildren in developing nations, through school feeding programs and school milk programs are marketing tools that can be utilized to create a growing demand for milk and milk products in targeted regions. Peter Ngaruiya, executive director of Easter and Southern Africa Dairy Association mentioned in an interview “most of the countries which have transformed their dairy sector have a functioning school milk programâ€. This comment was in reference to a desire to restart a school milk program in Kenya (Capital FM, 2014).

 

Creating product awareness and dependency through school feeding programs and school milk programs has the long-term benefits of 1) life time consumption of milk by the student participants, 2) the exponential introduction of milk and milk products to future generations who will grow up with milk as a staple food, and 3) a growth in the demand of milk and milk products, which therefore creates a boost to the local in the local economy.

 

This paper looks at examples of how school feeding and school milk programs have been used in developing nations as a marketing tool to kick start their local industries and create a long term demand for milk and milk products.