KUALA LUMPUR: The problem-ridden 1Malaysia school milk programme may be reintroduced next week after the school holiday — but only to underprivileged pupils.
Originally aimed at providing free milk to primary school children nationwide, the scheme is being reviewed after encountering what has been described as “supply” issues.
It ran for several months after an official announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Malaysia Day on Sept 16 last year.
Sources said Sabah International Dairies Sdn Bhd (SiD), appointed by the government to distribute the milk nationwide, is facing difficulty in meeting the requirement. It is believed the Kota Kinabalu-based company may have to adjust its distribution and provide only to selected pupils.
Meanwhile, the government has enlisted the help of other local companies to supply the 270 million packets of milk a year, as announced by Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Oct 4 last year.
Sources told The Malay Mail the programme would begin early next week. An announcement is expected to be made soon.
When contacted, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong declined to commit on when the announcement would be made, except to say that it would be announced either by Muhyiddin, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi or even Wee himself.
Wee, however, confirmed the distribution of the free milk was being reviewed by the ministry and some changes were expected to be made soon.
“Our concern now is the capacity of the milk producers to supply quality milk. We do not want to import milk from overseas because this can affect quality. We want the milk to be produced in this country and quality is our priority at this moment.
“There will be some adjustments to the milk distribution but I will not reveal it now. Just wait, we will announce this later.”
The government will spend RM375 million a year on the programme which is a component of the Education Ministry’s supplementary food programme initiated in 1983.
On May 22, 2007, the free milk scheme was temporarily suspended to allow investigations into contamination following a spate of food poisoning cases. It was re-launched on July 16 the same year, only to be suspended the following August.
It was reported the ministry had conducted a study on the supply chain between Feb 11 and April 16, 2008, but was not satisfied with its safety control system.
read more @ malay mail:
http://www.mmail.com.my/content/66438-only-poor-get-milk
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