Scottish Milk And Healthy Snack Scheme: Statutory Guidance For Local Authorities And Participating (Registered) Day Care Settings - updated 2025

Annex A

SMHSS: Milk and permitted “specified” alternative

1 In setting out what may be provided under the Scheme, Scottish Ministers have taken advice from Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

2. Plain fresh cow’s milk is most nutritious for children and this is what should be offered under the Scheme to all children except where they are under 12 months (and receive breast milk or first infant formula milk) or where children cannot drink it for medical, ethical or religious reasons.

3. Where children cannot drink cow’s milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons, the Scheme allows settings to provide plain fresh goat or sheep milk and where for those reasons children cannot drink cow’s milk, sheep’s milk or goat’s milk, the Scheme allows a specified unsweetened, fortified, calcium enriched non-dairy alternative (excluding rice drinks).

4. In line with Setting the Table, after the age of 1 semi-skimmed milk can be introduced as long as the child is eating well and has a varied diet. Fully skimmed milk is not suitable as a main drink for a young child until they are 5 years old, as it does not contain enough calories or vitamins.

5. Unsweetened, fortified, calcium enriched soya drinks are the closest nutritional equivalent to plain cow’s milk and these should be the first option for children who cannot drink dairy milks. Other unsweetened, fortified, calcium enriched non-dairy alternative drinks, such as oat or almond drinks may be offered only where a child cannot drink an unsweetened fortified, calcium enriched soya drink. A guide to support those selecting an unsweetened, fortified, calcium enriched soya drink is included in Annex B.

6. Rice drinks must not be given to children under 5 years of age due to concerns about the levels of arsenic.

Rationale

7. FSS is responsible for providing advice to Scottish Ministers on a range of food related issues including advice on diet and nutrition. FSS provided nutritional advice and identified the types of additional animal milks and non-dairy alternative drinks that can be included as part of the Scheme to ensure the best health benefits and outcomes for children who do not drink cow’s milk.

8. While inclusion of alternatives to cow’s milk offers more nutritional advantage than offering no alternative/ water alone, the nutritional benefits of the alternatives are not comparable with those of cow’s milk and children should therefore continue to be offered cow’s milk except where they cannot drink this for medical, ethical or religious reasons. The nutritional composition of non-dairy alternative drinks varies across products, but generally they contain less energy, protein, vitamins and minerals than cow’s milk which can lead to deficiencies if not taken account of in the rest of the diet.

Ranking of alternatives which should only be offered where children cannot drink the default for medical, ethical, or religious reasons

9. Under 12 months

First infant formula for children for whom breast milk is not available.

10. 12 months but under 2 years

Plain whole cow’s milk^[7].

Where a child cannot drink plain cow’s milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons, you should offer, in the following order:

(i) plain, whole fresh goat or sheep milk

(ii) specified unsweetened fortified, calcium enriched soya drink (see Annex B for information on soya drinks)

Where a child is also unable to drink soya:

(iii) specified unsweetened calcium-enriched non-soya alternative (excluding rice drink)

(iv) water

11. 2 years and over

Plain cow’s milk, whole or semi skimmed^[8].

Where a child cannot drink plain cow’s milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons, you should offer, in the following order:

(i) plain, whole fresh goat or sheep milk

(v) specified unsweetened fortified, calcium enriched soya drink (see Annex B for information on soya drinks)

Where a child is also unable to drink soya:

(vi) specified unsweetened calcium-enriched non-soya alternative (excluding rice drink)

(vii) water

Please remember, you must not provide rice drinks under the Scheme. The dairy milks to be provided under the Scheme are plain whole or semi-skimmed milks only.