Thailand Expands School Milk Program to 6.6 Million Students
Thailand is expanding its school milk program to reach 6.6 million students, including middle schoolers at educational opportunity schools, starting in November to improve nutrition for low-income families in remote areas.
The Cabinet has approved an expansion of the school milk supplementary feeding program to include students in grades 7–9 at educational opportunity schools for the first time, Deputy Agriculture Minister Watchara Khaokhram announced today. The program aims to invest in child and youth nutrition, enabling healthy physical, cognitive, and developmentally appropriate learning while building quality citizens who will drive the nation's future development. Implementation will begin in the second semester of the 2025 academic year this November. The expanded program will now cover approximately 6.6 million students, up from roughly 6 million previously, reducing inequality especially for low-income families in remote areas and easing parents' financial burden. The initiative will also support the domestic raw milk market by increasing raw milk purchases to 87,202 tons per day, helping dairy farmers and the milk industry across the board. Watchara emphasized that the government wants Thai children to drink 100 percent pure milk containing complete natural proteins and vitamins, and remains committed to supporting dairy farmers and milk-producing communities. The expansion aims to improve Thai children's quality of life through access to standardized, nutritious school milk while building a sustainable Thai milk industry and creating both quality citizens and sustainable economic growth.
