Effort To Save Chocolate Milk

Students and the dairy industry would like to keep chocolate milk as a drink choice in schools, which means chocolate milk isn’t disappearing from school cafeterias without a fight. Several school districts have removed chocolate milk from their menus because of the extra sugar, claiming that it contributes to childhood obesity; even though flavored milk is allowed by new USDA dietary guidelines as long as it’s fat free. A petition from the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation to allow the use of artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners in milk and dairy products has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. There have been numerous studies that report children are more likely to take milk with their school meals, if the milk is flavored. Removing flavored milk from school menus has resulted in a large decline in milk consumption by students, reducing their intake of important nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and protein. What do you think? Should the dairy industry be allowed to use approved artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners in flavored milk? To view the petition and make a comment visit federalregister.gov.