Chocolate Milk Back On The Menu

The serving of chocolate milk in school cafeterias has been a sore subject over the past few years. Many schools have even banned chocolate milk from their school menus. One particular school district in Oregon that banned chocolate milk last year has found out the hard way that dairy industry research stating that kids on average drink more milk if it is flavored is indeed true. Parents of students at Cascades Elementary School in Oregon took it upon themselves to do their own research on what was happening in the lunch room every day. They found that the students were dumping out more than eleven gallons of regular milk on a daily basis, which amounted to more than twice the amount of milk wasted before the school’s ban of chocolate milk. This eye opening reality check has prompted the school district there to reinstate chocolate milk on the school lunch menu. The fact that the federal school lunch regulations that went into effect this year allowing flavored milk as long as it is fat free should make the decision a little bit easier to swallow. This way it’s a win/win situation. The kids get the flavored milk they like with their lunches, and the school is serving a healthy drink choice approved by the USDA.