TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taoyuan City Government on Monday launched a program allowing registered children aged 2 to 12 to redeem fresh milk or soy milk weekly at designated retailers, CNA reported.

Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng (張善政) visited a convenience store on the first day of the new semester to observe students using digital student ID cards to collect their drinks. He said the city spent months preparing the card-based system and hopes children will remember to redeem their beverages weekly to increase calcium intake and support healthy growth.

Chang said the new system gives families more flexibility than the previous model, under which milk was distributed directly at schools. Allowing children to choose when to collect their drinks helps ensure they consume them while fresh, he added, UDN reported.

A woman surnamed Chang (張) praised the policy and said milk distributed at schools was not always consumed immediately. The new redemption method allows children to collect drinks when they want, easing concerns about freshness, she said.

The city government said the program applies to preschoolers and elementary school students registered in Taoyuan. Elementary students can use existing digital student ID cards, while preschoolers, toddlers in daycare, and children not yet enrolled in school can use a special milk card.

Eligible children can redeem drinks at eight major retail chains: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK Mart, PX Mart, Simple Mart, Carrefour Market, and RT-Mart’s affiliated Fengkang Supermarket chain. The weekly quota must be used within the same week and cannot be carried over, per Business Today.