Tetra Pak, in partnership with Feed SA, has initiated a campaign called Milk for Change to fight undernourishment among South Africa’s larger communities and educate consumers about the nutritional benefits of long life milk.

Milk for Change will collect long life milk donations by consumers from select retailers across Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal and donate it to communities in need. “We will encourage consumers to donate one or more packs of long life milk during the week of May 26 to June 1,” says John Strömblad, MD of Tetra Pak South Africa. “We innovate for sustainability because we care about peoples’ futures, about protecting what’s good, and we believe that long life milk plays a crucial role in protecting the future.”

A list of collection points at select retailers will be published on the microsite at www.milkforchange.co.za and collections start on May 26 and conclude on June 1 to celebrate World Milk Day. Feed SA will collect donated milk packs directly at the stores, audit volumes, and deliver to communities in need.

Tetra Pak has committed to donating 10 000 litres of long life milk alongside donations by Clover, Parmalat and Woodlands to kick-start the process, bringing the initial donation to 33 000 litres.

“Long life milk is the same milk by a different process,” says Gisele Gurgel, marketing director of Tetra Pak South Africa. “Because of the packaging technology, it is convenient because it can be stored for longer. It’s available everywhere, because it can easily be transported where it is needed, and for longer distances as it doesn’t require refrigeration. Many families around South Africa don’t have adequate access to the infrastructure to store liquids and foods, or nearby commercial facilities to make them available. Long life milk is an ideal way to overcome those challenges.”

Milk and dairy products are nutrient dense. They provide high quality protein and micronutrients in an easily absorbed form that can benefit both nutritionally vulnerable people and healthy people. Milk is an ideal source of protein and calcium, and also contains a range of essential vitamins and minerals.

“At Tetra Pak we are always motivated by our vision to make food safe and available everywhere. There are many ways we do this and our top goal is to innovate for sustainability. Sustainability includes economy, it includes society, and it includes the environment,” says Strömblad.

“While all LSM (living standards measure) groups benefit from long life milk,” he adds, “Milk for Change closes the loop of protecting people by connecting the benefits of long life milk with people who most need its nutrition.”

Gurgel says: “Milk’s penetration in South Africa across all LSM segments is on average 90%. But the volume of consumption is quite different between the segments. Consumption is around 20 litres per household a year for LSM segments one to four, and much higher at around 100 litres a year per household for LSM segments nine to 10, according to a Nielsen 2015 report.”

Milk for Change is a 360-degree campaign to provide families at the fringe of the economy with the nutritional benefits milk provides, and at the same time educate consumers about the benefits of long life milk.

The campaign is based on four steps:

Digital media activities that make people aware of the nutritional benefits of milk;
The microsite that complements the digital channels by providing information about the technology behind long life milk;
A digital call to action that invites consumers to donate a carton of long life milk at participating retailers; and
Feed SA collecting and delivering the milk to those in need and reporting how many litres were collected to help them.

Milk for Change will use the microsite to post progress updates. Every donated carton of milk will also get a sticker consumers can use to send recipients a message. Recipients can then send a free SMS via the website to thank the donor, thereby completing the circle.