Dairy Groups Applaud USDA School Meal Rule; IDFA Says Milk Consumption Will Fall
Washington—USDA’s final rule updating the meal patterns and nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs was applauded by several dairy industry organizations and companies, although one group predicted that milk consumption will decline under the final rule.
Under the final rule, which was published in last Thursday’s Federal Register (for more details, please see “Final USDA School Meal Rule Means More Fat-Free Milk, Less Sodium, Fat, on the front page of our January 27 issue), schools will be required to offer fluid milk that is fat-free (unflavored and flavored) and lowfat (unflavored only), and will also have to reduce the sodium content of meals gradually over a 10-year period.
“On average, by the time they are four years old, children fall below the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommended dairy intake. By requiring that schools offer lowfat or fat-free milk with every meal, these standards can help children come closer to meeting their nutrient needs,” said Jean H. Ragalie, president of National Dairy Council.
“Building nutrient-rich school
meals is an important step toward helping students develop healthy eating patterns at an early age, and we commend the USDA for making important updates to school nutrition standards at a time when providing children access to proper nutrition has never been more important,” Ragalie added.
“The updated nutrition standards require that lowfat or fat-free milk remain a part of every school meal,” said Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “That’s essential, given that milk is the singlest largest contributor of nutrients in kids’ diets.”
While Kozak said NMPF would have preferred that USDA allow lowfat flavored milk in school meals along with fat-free flavored milk, “it’s essential that chocolate milk, in particular, remain available in school cafeterias to assure children are getting the nutrients milk provides.”
Research shows that milk consumption can drop 35 percent or more when flavored milk is removed.
“We applaud the strong support of dairy as a vital component of a healthy diet and appreciate the priority attention USDA has given to improving the foods and beverages served in our nation’s schools,” said Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA).
“However, we are disappointed that USDA has placed limits on milk varieties ahead of constraints on competing beverages widely available today,” Tipton added.
To date, USDA has not issued rules governing these “competitive foods,” so milk will continue to face tough competition from other a la carte beverages sold at schools until USDA completes the rulemaking process. These proposed rules are slated for release early this year.
“Eliminating lowfat flavored milks, which kids like, and still allowing a wide variety a la carte beverages like juice beverages, sports drinks and soda at schools will reduce milk consumption,” Tipton said.
Milk consumption in schools has declined among children and teens, and research indicates that much of this decline can be attributed to the wide availability of other beverages at schools, IDFA said. When beverages other than milk, 100 percent juice and water are offered, total milk consumption at school drops 9 percent to 28 percent.
Earlier this year, leaders of IDFA constituent organization Milk Industry Foundation (MIF) sent a letter to US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to highlight the continuing decline in milk consumption at schools and the corresponding rise of competing beverages available on school grounds. They expressed concern that schools might use USDA’s final school meal rule as their basis for all school milk purchases.
“Our industry would prefer an attainable restriction on added sugars or a calorie limit rather than the exclusion of lowfat flavored milk as proposed in the school meal rule,” the letter said.
Dean Foods Company commended USDA for recognizing the importance of dairy in the revised nutrition standards for school meals. Vilsack and First Lady Michelle Obama announced the new standards at Parkland Elementary School in Alexandria, VA, Wednesday.
Parkland Elementary serves milk produced by the Dean Foods Shenandoah’s Pride brand, including white milk and fat-free TruMoo chocolate milk. Launched last year, TruMoo fat-free chocolate milk contains just 40 more calories than plain white milk per serving.
Last year, Fairfax County Public Schools in the Washington, DC, suburbs gained national attention by reversing a chocolate milk ban to partner with Shenandoah’s Pride to bring a reformulated chocolate milk back into the cafeteria. The milk piloted with Fairfax schools became what is known today as TruMoo.
After successful regional retail and school pilots in the Northeast and Pacific Coast regions, virtually all of the flavored milk across Dean Foods’ family of regional brands converted to TruMoo last August. Tens of thousands of schools across the US converted to fat-free TruMoo at the start of the current school year, Dean Foods noted.
“Shenandoah’s Pride has been a strong partner with our school customers in developing a better-for-you chocolate milk formula with a taste kids love and the nutrition they need,”” said Bill Hogan, Shenandoah’s Pride general manager.
“The new school meal standards are one of the most important advances in nutrition in decades,” said Margo G. Wootan, nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). “They’re much needed, given high childhood obesity rates and the poor state of our children’s diets.”
She called on USDA, states, school officials, food manufacturers, foodservice workers and parents “to work together to help all schools meet the new standards.”
The new school meal standards “represent a major step in the right direction and a long overdue investment in the future health and productivity of our children,” said Dawn Undurraga, staff nutritionist with the Environmental Working Group. r
