Free milk scheme suspended

PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry’s decision to suspend the school milk aid scheme nationwide yesterday came too late for 38 students in Penang.

The Year Five students of SK Kuala Muda in Penaga were given milk by the school yesterday and soon after they began vomiting and complained of stomach cramp and diarrhoea.

They were taken to the district government clinic for treatment. A Health Department spokesman at the clinic believed the cause was food poisoning.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim announced yesterday that the milk programme for all schools would be suspended until suppliers could guarantee that the milk is safe for consumption.

“The suppliers have to sign a letter stating that the milk is safe for consumption. We will resume (the programme) if they are brave enough to say they have checked all milk in schools and declare it safe,” he said.

The ministry had on Tuesday suspended the milk programme in Kedah and Kelantan after 117 students in two schools in the states became ill from drinking milk.

Now that the students would no longer be getting milk, the ministry would look into providing the students alternative sources of nutrients and calcium, Hon said after co-chairing a meeting with Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad which was attended by school milk suppliers and factory producers.

Hon said the onus would be on suppliers to ensure that the milk was properly stored in schools.

The milk programme was first discontinued on May 22 after 35% of milk supplies to Penang, Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Pahang and Terengganu was found to be contaminated.

It was revived on July 16 following a government directive that the milk would have to be tested by Sirim to ensure it was bacteria-free

Even school kids milk you all also want to curi makan ? Wake up la you all b&b*