TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Medical & Scientific Director of Danone Indonesia, Ray Wagiu Basrowi explained the role of milk in children's growth and the importance of choosing fortified milk to meet the daily nutritional needs of children. Child nutrition can indeed be obtained from daily food. However, in addition to that, it is also important for parents to supplement their children's daily nutritional needs with milk. "Nutrition obtained through milk will affect learning ability, strengthen the immune system, optimize physical growth, and minimize the risk of health problems," he said in a press release received by Tempo on June 3, 2025.
Ray added that it is also important to choose the right milk for children. One of them is fortified milk, which is richer in nutrients and is able to strengthen and optimize nutrient absorption due to its content that has been adjusted to the child's daily nutritional adequacy level.
Milk plays an important role in supporting children's physical growth and brain development, especially during the golden age. Milk is also the easiest food to digest and has very high quality protein according to the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) method. With a DIAAS score above 1.0, it indicates that milk contains all essential amino acids in sufficient quantities and is easily digested and absorbed by the body. In addition to bringing health and growth benefits, the production and consumption of every glass of milk also has a positive impact on the economic and social growth of the community. This is in line with the theme of World Milk Day 2025, which focuses on celebrating the strength of milk products in providing quality nutrition to promote health and make an impact on the world.
On World Milk Day, Danone Specialized Nutrition (SN) Indonesia presents innovations to produce the best nutritional products by maintaining the supply chain from upstream to downstream. Ray and his team believe that the best nutritional products come through dedication and innovation, therefore the development of product innovation is a top priority. Science-based research according to the nutritional needs of Indonesian children is continuously carried out. One way is through facilities in the Research & Innovation Center and factories that have international standards, presenting fortified milk innovations with a unique combination of Iron and Vitamin C or IronC, as well as being equipped with DHA, tuna oil, omega 3 and 6, and other important nutrients. Fortification of iron C has been proven to optimize the absorption of iron and other nutrients, where optimal iron is important to support children's intelligence so that they can stay focused and active.
Social and economic development of the community through milk is also pursued through empowering farmers and sustainable farming initiatives. Danone Indonesia's Communication Director, Arif Mujahidin, explained that farmers are at the forefront of supplying milk needs. Therefore, the company pays special attention to empowering farmers by providing training support for farmers through education about good farming techniques, so that farmers can be more productive and prosperous. "Not only producing milk, they are also trained to utilize cattle manure as a source of biogas energy, which can be used in kitchens or other productive activities," said Arif.
In an effort to support and empower farmers, Arif said that his team is making various efforts including capacity enhancement programs for farmers and dairy cooperatives that are working partners with Sarihusada in supplying fresh milk. This capacity enhancement is carried out in aspects of Good Dairy Farming Practices (GDFP), covering livestock farm management and feed, animal welfare, milk handling, biogas, mineral blocks, and digitalization of livestock and milk data recording.
The management of cattle manure, which can be used as a source of biogas energy, is also a concern. Cattle manure is fermented to produce methane, which is used by farmer families as an energy source for daily cooking. Throughout 2022-2023, a total of 100 biogas units have been produced and utilized by farmer families. "We hope that the capacity enhancement from various aspects can make farmers more independent, so that their productivity can also increase," said Arif.
Arif added that with every glass of milk, various benefits flow to our bodies and health, as well as benefits to those involved in the milk production and distribution process. From the milk production process, various parties are involved, including farmers, researchers and experts, production workers, and those who distribute milk to households. "So, the consumption of every glass of milk already drives the economy and supports the welfare of the community," said Arif.
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