DISCOVER DAIRY FOR GOOD HEALTH Business group: NM Program: Dairy Nutrients o A new education resource for teachers and students highlighting dairy’s health and nutrition benefits o Demonstrating Dairy Australia’s credibility in nutrition information In May 2007, Dairy Australia introduced a primary schools online resource to help teachers, students, canteens and parents appreciate the health benefits of dairy food as part of a healthy lifestyle. The Discover Dairy website is accessed through www.dairy.edu.au and is part of Dairy Australia’s Kids Education program designed to highlight the health benefits of consuming three serves of dairy a day. In today’s environment, where childhood obesity is a major concern, schools have an important role to play in promoting healthy eating to students. A healthy diet can help children achieve their full potential. The free website features resources for teachers and their students, canteen staff and parents. Teachers can source lesson ideas and activity sheets to include as part of their curriculum. Students enjoy interactive learning about the health benefits of some of their favourite foods. Canteen staff have access to information to encourage students to make healthy lunch and snack choices. And parents can also use the site to reinforce positive eating habits at home. The first Discover Dairy module, ‘Unbeatable Bones’ covers the importance of building and maintaining healthy bones. According to the last National Nutrition Survey, more than half of all Australian children did not meet their recommended dietary intake of calcium and 82 per cent consumed less than three daily serves of dairy foods. The website will operate as Dairy Australia’s new platform among school teachers and canteen managers to assist these key influencers to promote and protect dairy consumption among consumers. Additional modules and programs will be added, educating not only about dairy’s health benefits but also about dairy farming. The initial response to the website was extremely positive with more than 1100 unique visitors in the first three weeks. Previous research among school teachers had indicated that Dairy Australia is perceived as a highly credible source of nutrition information.
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