Flavored milk may go back on school lunch menus

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is working to bring back 1 percent flavored milk to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast program, according to a news release from Va. Farm Bureau Federation. Flavored was eliminated from the plan five years ago, the news release said.

Since 2012, most schools have been able to offer only fat-free—including nonfat chocolate milk—and lowfat unflavored milk in school meals to better align with U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional guidelines and recommendations of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

The news release says that the USDA says that school nutrition requirements cost school districts an additional $1.2 billion in 2015. While school meal program costs increased, most states reported a decrease in student participation in school lunches, and about 1 million students opted out of a school-provided lunch.

Secretary Perdue was quoted as saying, “This announcement is a result of years of feedback from students, schools and food service experts about the challenges they are facing in meeting the final regulations in school meals. If kids aren’t eating the food, and it’s ending up in the trash, they aren’t getting any nutrition—thus undermining the intent of the program.”

It’s unclear when the change might be implemented, but American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown was said to be “unhappy” with the decision. She said loosening up nutritional requirements for school lunch programs to include 1 percent flavored milk could have serious health consequences for children, increasing obesity rates.

Tony Banks, a commodity marketing specialist for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, was quoted as saying in the news release, “Most children consume far more sugar in their diets than the negligible amount found in a small carton of milk served in a school cafeteria,” Banks explained. “While some may say this is a way for dairy producers to push more of their product, it’s really about making sure children are consuming milk and not throwing away needed protein, vitamins and minerals. This new policy will reduce food waste in schools and make more efficient use of parents’ and other taxpayers’ money spent on school lunches.”