NIN recommends milk, milk product rations

"This recommendation aims to improve the community's awareness of the nutrient value of milk, the current reality of calcium deficiency and ways to better use milk and milk products to improve the physique and health of the Vietnamese people going forward," NIN deputy director Le Bach Mai said at an event today in Ha Noi.

According to the recommendation, children aged three to five years should consume four units of milk, equivalent to 15g of cheese, 100ml of yoghurt and 200ml of milk each day, while children aged between 10 and 19 years should consume six units of milk, equivalent to 30g of cheese, 200ml of yoghurt and 200ml of milk daily.

Adults of all ages should consume three to four units of milk daily. Pregnant women should drink 6 units of milk per day, while breast-feeding mothers are urged to drink 6.5 units of milk daily.

"The recommendation would contribute to effectively implementing the National Nutrition Strategy for the 2011-20 period and the plan to improve the physique and strength of the Vietnamese people in the 2011-30 period," Mai added.

A survey conducted by NIN during 1985-2010 showed that the daily calcium rations of the Vietnamese people amounted to 500-540mg per person, meeting about 50-60 per cent of the World Health Organisation's calcium ration recommendation.

The current situation is the result of poor consumption of milk, milk products and seafood products.