Today is the 21st celebration of World Milk Day as people around the globe organise campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of milk.
World Milk Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2001 to recognise the importance of milk as a global food.
The campaigns are centred around the following four themes:
- Good food, health and nutrition
- Farmers caring responsibly for their communities, the land and their animals
- Sustainable practices in the dairy sector
- How dairy contributes to economic development and livelihoods
Events can be hosted by community groups, dairy producers, manufacturers, retailers, researchers, health and nutrition organisations, dairy industry suppliers, agricultural societies, schools and universities and even families or individuals.
In a tweet, the organisers of World Milk Day said: "DidYouKnow: Dairy positively impacts the lives of over 1 billion people across the globe? In these unprecedented times, the dairy sector is committed to nourishing our communities.”
More than 600 million people live on 133 million dairy farms worldwide. The dairy sector employs over 400 million people.
A world with no cows would lead to one billion people without livelihoods.
The campaign also aims to educate people on the nutritional value of milk.
Cow’s milk and its products like cheese, curd, butter, ghee and lassi strengthen muscles and boost stamina and immunity.
Many people took to Twitter to share the importance of milk in their lives.
U.S. Dairy Exporter tweeted: “This year #WorldMilkDay is about sustainability, and U.S. Dairy has a great story to tell. See how U.S. dairy farmers are using “cow power” and other sustainable practices to ensure that dairy is part of the environmental solution.”
Another user said: “Greetings on the occasion of #WorldMilkDay. Milk has been a great source of important nutrients and has played a vital role in strengthening the rural economy and improving lives in India.”
People can participate in the campaigns through social media by completely TikTok challenges, engaging in discussions on Twitter, posting milk-related photos and videos online, creating milk recipes and much more.
