He Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (Midis) has authorized the purchase of reconstituted dairy products – partially prepared with powdered milk – for the Complementary Food Care provided by the Qali Warma National School Feeding Program. Gloria is the first supplier company.
Through the Resolution of the Executive Directorate of Qali Warma (RDE 375-2023-MIDIS/PNAEQW/DE), published on June 21, Midis authorized that some 731,000 children, adolescents or pregnant mothers be fed with the reconstituted dairy product .
According to the Resolution, it “supports the need to incorporate an alternative food substitute for whole evaporated milk for Complementary Food Care due to the limited availability of this food in the national market”.
However, the Association of Dairy Farmers of Peru (Agalep) denies that there is a shortage of fresh milk in the country. According to its owner Nivia Vargasthere is strong pressure from the industry to offer a lower quality product under international nutrition standards.
“For a few months ago, Agalep has been warning that the Gloria company is trying to make believe that there is a shortage of fresh milk in the country in order to pressure the Government not to deliver fresh milk and impose dairy mixtures of less nutritional value to the beneficiaries. of these programs”, sent the leader.
Agalep denounced a double speech from the Executive, in days that the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Midagri) makes efforts to promote the consumption of highly nutritious fresh milk and that livestock producers affirm that they have enough production to meet daily demand.
According to information from Midagri, 6 million 100,000 liters of milk are produced per year in the country. Of that total, 51% goes to the industry, mainly Gloria, followed by Nestle and Laive.
Gloria is precisely the provider of the Qali Warma program and, therefore, the company authorized to deliver fresh milk to the more than 4.2 million children and adolescents or pregnant mothers who are beneficiaries of the program. However, this time not everyone will receive good quality milk.
“Finally, the company achieved its goal and now has authorization to deliver recombined milk from a blue can and with dairy mixes, which are products made with reprocessed powdered milk, whey and vegetable shortening – transgenic of low nutritional value for children and nursing mothers” warned Nivia Vargas.
Agalep, Gloria and Qali Warma
In April 2022, the Executive modified the Regulation of Milk and Dairy Productsestablishing that the product called Evaporated Milk must be made exclusively from fresh milk, that is, it prohibited adding powdered milk -which is imported- to the mixture.
According to Midagri, evaporated milk (made from 100% fresh milk) is more nutritious than canned recombined milk, because it has undergone fewer thermal processes that deteriorate the biological quality of proteins and vitamins. Also, butterfat oxidizes during the time it is stored as a powder before it is re-sterilized inside the can.
Agalep explains that, according to the Healthy Eating Law, the most nutritious products are those that are in their natural state or have minimal processing. In addition, PAHO adds that unhealthy eating is the habitual consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods.
“So the Qali Warma proposal implies delivering a product with four or more high-temperature industrial processes that decreases its nutritional quality,” warned the farmers’ association.
Powdered Milk for Qali Warma
According to Agalep, the reconstituted dairy product is made almost 100% from imported products, which is why it is counterproductive to the “Con Punche Peru” campaign that seeks to boost the economy of the regions. Therefore, the farmers’ association urged those responsible for Qali Warma to annul resolution RDE 375-2023-MIDIS/PNAEQW/DE.
“If this nonsense is not amended, Congress and the Comptroller’s Office take corrective actions immediately”, emphasized Vargas.
On the other hand, Agalep highlighted the approval of the bill that modifies the Glass of Milk Law in the sense that said program only delivers Fresh Pasteurized Cow’s Milk to its beneficiaries.
“This measure has multiple positive effects. The first, nutritional, is a clear example that the vulnerable population should be given products of higher nutritional quality, boost the Regional economy and finally encourage greater consumption of milk with less processing as indicated by the Healthy Eating Law ”, he concluded.
Source: Larepublica
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