NAHA - Seven-Eleven Okinawa and local dairy farmers have begun working together to find new uses for milk produced during the summer vacation period, when school lunch programs are suspended and demand for fresh milk declines.
Seven-Eleven Okinawa is developing new products, including bread and sweets, made with locally produced milk that would otherwise face reduced demand during the school holidays. Representatives from the convenience store chain visited a dairy farm in Yaese on June 4th to hear directly from producers about the challenges facing the industry.
More than 30% of Okinawa's milk production is supplied to school lunch programs, creating a significant imbalance between supply and demand during the summer break. The initiative is expected to help address the need to manage more than 1,000 tons of milk during the holiday period while creating new sales channels for Okinawa-produced dairy products.
Michiyo Taba, a director of the Okinawa Dairy Agricultural Cooperative Association, welcomed the effort.
"What had long been a major concern for producers during periods when schools were closed has now been transformed into processed products that can be enjoyed by local residents. This is a great source of satisfaction for dairy farmers," Taba said.
The new products are scheduled to go on sale in early August.
Source: OTV
