Currently 1.5 million children under five, who get at least two hours of childcare a day, receive 189ml of milk for free under the scheme, which has been running since the 1940s.
The scheme, which covers 55,000 childcare settings in England, Scotland and Wales, reimburses childcare providers for the full cost of buying any milk they give to children free of charge.
Over recent years the prices claimed for milk supplied under the Nursery Milk Scheme have gone up considerably, with some claims reaching 92p a pint.
The Department of Health has found that some specialist providers of milk who act as ‘middlemen’ for nurseries have been claiming back on their behalf double the amount of money they should be.
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