Paper short abstract:

Why Finns have been the heaviest milk drinkers in the world for decades? This paper explores the founding of Maito ja terveys (Milk and Health) association in 1958. The association promoted milk consumption mainly for health reasons, but also contributed to the idea of national importance of milk.

Paper long abstract:

After the WWII, Finland experienced problems with public health due to inadequate nutrition. From 1947 to 1951 Finland received food aid from UNICEF mostly in the form of milk powder, lard, and tinned meat. Moreover, as the handling and storage conditions of fresh milk were inadequate, milk served for children was often contaminated, causing diarrhoea. Therefore, UNICEF granted an appropriation for acquiring refrigeration and pasteurization machines in the dairies. At the same time, there was public interest in increasing the consumption of milk in many parts of Europe, and also in Finland several civic organizations expressed their concern on the position and quality of milk in nutrition. This led to the establishment of Maito ja terveys ry (Milk and health registered association) in 1958, aiming to promote milk for Finnish people. Significant part of the funding in the start came from the UNICEF committee of Finland, with member dairies also financing the association.

In this paper, I will explore the reasons and contexts of founding Maito ja terveys association, using the archival materials of the association as main research materials. What kinds of arguments and discourses were used to affirm that milk is an absolutely necessary part of Finnish diet? To whom was the early milk promotion of the association directed? I will argue that Maito ja terveys association has played an important role in the high consumption of milk in Finland which has continued to the present day, and has contributed to the idea of national importance of milk.