End of the 'Free Milk Distribution' Program in Schools; No Budget Allocated This Year

On Tuesday, October 16, the head of the 'Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Health and Food Security' of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the cessation of the free milk distribution program in 62,000 schools due to 'lack of budget this year.' According to Iranian media, Mohammad Ismail Motlaq, speaking at the 'National Food Security Conference with a Non-Military Defense Approach' at Iran University of Medical Sciences, stated that no budget had been allocated for this program this year and urged the Planning and Budget Organization to provide the necessary funding for the free milk distribution in schools. The announcement of the budget shortfall for distributing milk to 8.3 million students comes at a time when the Islamic Republic government allocates large sums annually to cultural and religious institutions it approves. Institutions under the supervision of the Supreme Leader are exempt from paying taxes, and support for the Islamic Republic's proxy groups continues. In his remarks, the head of the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Health and Food Security also noted that 'the distribution of free milk in schools' and 'the electronic food coupon plan' have been implemented in line with food security in Iran and expressed hope that these programs would continue. He mentioned that 62,000 schools benefited from free milk distribution last year, and the Social Security Organization could secure the necessary funding for milk distribution in schools from other sources. According to Mohammad Ismail Motlaq, students in these 62,000 schools received free milk twice a week, and the results of this program indicate that free milk distribution impacts their health, such as obesity and malnutrition. Previously, according to ILNA news agency, Hossein Asadollahi, secretary of the 'National Milk Committee' of the Ministry of Education, mentioned on April 27 that the milk distribution program in schools resumed after a 10-year hiatus, starting in October 2023. However, due to dairy companies' lack of readiness to supply milk, actual distribution began in November of the same year across Iran. He stated that the annual milk distribution amounts to about 500 million cartons, covering approximately 8.3 million elementary school students in public schools, and added that around 160 million cartons of milk were distributed in Iranian schools from the start of the program until the end of 2023, with distribution resuming after the Nowruz holidays. Following the official increase in the price of bread and milk, the question remains: where will the promise of controlling inflation lead? The household livelihood basket in Iran has increased to about 37 million tomans per month. A 14% increase in dairy prices in Iran has been confirmed, continuing the rise in essential goods prices, shrinking the food basket for the people. The spokesperson for the Dairy Industries Association of Iran stated that 80% of dairy companies have shut down.