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Chocolate milk is under fire. Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

MILK, that icon of purity, has been taking some hits lately.

By the time they are 11, children drink more soda than milk. The amount of milk consumed in America over all has fallen to about 20 gallons a year per capita, from 25 gallons in the early 1990s.

It's even on shaky ground in the one place it has long seemed at home, the school lunchroom. To appease parents whose children can't or won't drink milk, a quarter of the nation's largest school districts now offer rice or soy milk and almost 17 percent of all school districts offer lactose-free milk.

Most recently, chocolate milk has emerged as both villain and victim in a cafeteria drama that pits the milk industry, administrators and parents against one another.

For those who haven't been in a school cafeteria lately, 71 percent of the milk served nationwide is flavored. In New York City, school food officials say fat-free chocolate milk fills nearly 60 percent of the 100 million cartons served each year. The rest is one-percent plain.

But chocolate milk can contain about twice as much sugar as plain low-fat milk. Milk is naturally sweet from lactose; flavored milk also contains cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, making it unwelcome in some cafeterias.

When students went back to school Monday in the District of Columbia, they were served only low-fat white milk. Berkeley, Calif., schools banned chocolate milk, and Florida school officials are considering it.

"There's been a lot of pressure on flavored milk recently," said Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association.

Flavoring milk, some school officials and milk processors say, is the only way to get students to drink it. Milk provides a host of nutrients, including calcium, protein and vitamin D, which recent studies show is deficient in about three-quarters of teenagers and adults.

"It's better for them to have some milk with some flavoring and a little added sugar than to go without milk," said Ms. Pratt-Heavner, whose organization last month helped release a study that showed that elementary school children drank 35 percent less milk at school on average when flavored milk was removed.

The study, based on seven school districts, was paid for by the Milk Processor Education Program, a dairy industry group that supports the "Got Milk?" campaign, and conducted by Prime Consulting Group, whose clients include several large food companies.

Milk processors began a $500,000 campaign a year ago to defend chocolate milk from what they called "food activists" who believe it delivers too much added sugar. There is a lot at stake. The milk sold in schools accounts for 7 percent of all milk sales in the country.

The campaign has picked up in time for this school year. Posters featuring professional athletes promoting milk and chocolate milk for student athletes are ready for shipping to schools, and on Wednesday, the School Nutrition Association is offering its members a "Webinar" entitled "Keep flavored milk from dropping out of school."

Dairy processors and some nutritionists are concerned that important nutrients are going down the drain instead of into children, said Ann Marie Krautheim, senior vice president for nutrition affairs at the National Dairy Council. "There is a vocal minority that is looking at flavored milk from one sole angle, which is the sugar content," she said. "Parents need to consider the total nutrient package."

People trying to make school lunch more nutritious say it's outrageous to serve an eight-ounce drink that can contain more than five teaspoons of sugar — almost as much as a cup of soda or apple juice — and call it healthy.

"Saying we need to add sugar and flavoring to milk to get kids to drink it is like saying we need to feed kids apple pie if they don't like apples," said Ann Cooper, who runs the Boulder, Colo., school food program and a national Web site, chefann.com, aimed at reforming school lunch.

She's not opposed to chocolate milk, but she is opposed to teaching children it is part of a healthy daily diet.

The Boulder school district banned flavored milk last year. To help keep consumption up, Ms. Cooper installed a dispenser that keeps the milk colder and is more fun, she claims, than grabbing a carton. And it saves money.

Like other nutritionists and pediatricians, she argues that too much milk can make a child too full to eat foods like greens, hummus and beans that offer nutrients found in dairy products.

Some parents simply want the schools to be working with them, not against them.

Jenny Evans's children, who are 9 and 7, drink plenty of plain milk and eat a moderate amount of cookies, ice cream and the occasional piece of candy. But she objects to chocolate milk with added sugar as a staple at their school, the Garrison Union Free School in upstate New York.

"I don't think sugar is good for my kids, but I want to be the one giving it to them," she said.

For school food workers trying to make meals nutritious, milk of any kind helps solve problems.

Along with a grain, a vegetable, a fruit and a protein, milk must be offered at every meal if a school district wants to get crucial reimbursement from the federal government. Students need only take three of the five items offered, but chocolate milk is a popular choice.

To qualify for the federal money, the meals also have to deliver a set amount of calories and nutrients, with no more than 30 percent of those calories coming from fat. Low-fat milk helps meet those needs, said Janet Poppendieck, a sociology professor at Hunter College and author of the book, " Free for All: Fixing School Food in America. "

The government started providing subsidized milk to schools in the 1940s to help nourish needy children. The dairy industry helped finance this and other school nutrition efforts. Recently, it helped pay to promote school breakfast and summer food programs.

For many years, Ms. Poppendieck said, the close relationship between the dairy industry and public schools was welcome. But the recent campaign seems more commercial than social marketing, she said.

"As we have had our consciousness raised about milk both flavored and unflavored, the dairy council's efforts begin to look less angelic," she said.

But even parents who try to limit sugar in their children's diets think chocolate milk on the lunch tray is worth the nutritional trade-off.

Amy Alexander's children attend Montgomery County schools in Maryland. Her 11-year-old daughter has been boycotting milk altogether and her 7-year-old son won't entertain much plain milk unless it is on his cereal.

And he hates vegetables, but he loves chocolate milk. At least that gives him some nutrition, his mother figures. But she asks him to limit himself to a carton every other day at school.

"I suspect he takes it every day, but I'm not there," she said. Mostly, she doesn't want her children to have issues around food.

"I don't get the militancy around this," she said. "Milk is milk."

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A School Fight Over Chocolate Milk (Published 2010)

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MILK, that icon of purity, has been taking some hits lately. By the time they are 11, children drink more soda than milk. The amount of milk consumed in America over all has fallen to about 20 gallons a year per capita, from 25 gallons in the early 1990s.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Credible milk and dairy nutrition information backed by evidence-based science.

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No image available And {{products.length - 5}} additional items, click here to review your cart. Nutrient-rich foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt support positive health outcomes. Explore Common Milk + Dairy Topics Milk + Dairy Resources Did you know June is National Dairy Month? Dairy foods taste good and are good for you!

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Campaign news | Jamie Oliver campaigns | Jamie Oliver

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Find out about Jamie Oliver’s campaigns and how you can get involved, here.

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With the same essential vitamins and nutrients found in white milk wrapped up in delicious flavor, TruMoo® chocolate milk is the perfect way to replenish after a big day of childhood fun.
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Great flavors, essential vitamins & nutrients, TruMoo has everything kids need to replenish after a day of play.

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"Chocolate Milk Gets Nutritionists' Gold Star"

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"Chocolate Milk Gets Nutritionists' Gold Star"

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You know vitamins and minerals are good for you. But what does your body really need? And is it possible to get too much of a good thing?

What Are Vitamins and Minerals?

Your body needs vitamins and minerals to work properly. You get them from the foods you eat every day.

Vitamins fall into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble (pronounced: SAHL-yuh-bul):

The fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E, and K - dissolve in fat and are stored in your body.

The water-soluble vitamins - C and the B-complex vitamins (such as vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate) - dissolve in water. Your body can't store these vitamins. Any B or C vitamins that your body doesn't use travels through the bloodstream and is lost (mostly when you pee). So you need a fresh supply of these vitamins every day.

Vitamins are organic substances, which means they're made by plants or animals. Minerals are inorganic elements that come from soil and water, and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Other minerals like chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you need only very small amounts of them.

What Do Vitamins and Minerals Do?

Vitamins and minerals boost the immune system, support normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs. For example, you've probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes. It's true! Carrots are full of substances called carotenoids (pronounced: kuh-RAH-teh-noydz) that your body converts into vitamin A, which helps prevent eye problems.

Vitamin K helps blood to clot, so cuts and scrapes stop bleeding quickly. You'll find vitamin K in green leafy vegetables, broccoli, and soybeans. And to have strong bones, you need to eat foods such as milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables, which are rich in the mineral calcium.

How Do I Get the Vitamins and Minerals I Need?

Eating well now is especially important because the body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to grow and stay healthy.

Eating a mix of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and poultry are the best choices for getting the nutrients your body needs.

When deciding what to eat, check food labels and pick items that are high in vitamins and minerals. For example, when choosing drinks, you'll find that a glass of milk is a good source of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium. A glass of soda, on the other hand, doesn't have any vitamins or minerals.

You can also satisfy your taste buds without sacrificing nutrition while dining out: vegetable pizzas or fajitas, sandwiches with lean cuts of meat, fresh salads, and baked potatoes are just a few delicious, nutritious choices.

If you're a vegetarian, you'll need to plan carefully for a diet that includes the vitamins and minerals you need. The best sources for the minerals zinc and iron are meats, fish, and poultry. But you can get these from dried beans, seeds, nuts, and leafy green vegetables like kale.

Vitamin B12 is important for making red blood cells and keeping nerves working well. It is found only in animal products. If you don't eat meat, you can get vitamin B12 from eggs, milk and other dairy foods, and fortified breakfast cereals. Vegans (vegetarians who eat no animal products at all, including dairy products) may need to take vitamin B12 supplements.

Should I Take a Supplement?

Lots of people wonder if they should take vitamin or mineral supplements. If your diet includes a wide variety of foods - including whole-grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meats - you probably get the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

There are many supplements on the market, and of course their makers want you to buy them. Beware of unproven claims about the benefits of taking more than recommended amounts of any vitamin or mineral. Healthy teens usually don't need supplements if they eat a well-rounded diet.

Check with your doctor before taking vitamin or mineral supplements. Just because something is good for you doesn't mean that more is better. Some vitamins and minerals can cause health problems if you get too much of them.

Talk to your doctor or a dietitian if you're skipping meals, dieting, are a picky eater, or have any concerns about your diet. They can answer your questions and help you create a healthy eating plan that includes the nutrients your body needs.

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Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that the body needs to work properly. They boost the immune system, promote normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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You've probably heard about calories. Are they good or bad for you? Find out in this article for kids.

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If you're like most kids, you've probably heard at least one parent say, "Don't forget to take your vitamin!" or "Eat your salad - it's packed with vitamins!" But what exactly are vitamins?

Vitamins and minerals are substances that are found in foods we eat. Your body needs them to work properly, so you grow and stay healthy. When it comes to vitamins, each one has a special role to play. For example:

Vitamin D in milk helps your bones.

Vitamin A in carrots helps you see at night.

Vitamin C in oranges helps your body heal if you get a cut.

B vitamins in whole grains help your body make energy from food.

Vitamins Hang Out in Water and Fat

There are two types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble.

When you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are stored in the fat tissues in your body and in your liver. They wait around in your body fat until your body needs them.

Fat-soluble vitamins are happy to stay stored in your body for a long time. Then, when it's time for them to be used, special carriers in your body take them to where they're needed. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.

Water-soluble vitamins are different. These vitamins dissolve in water. When you eat foods that have water-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are not stored in your body. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream. Whatever your body doesn't use comes out when you urinate (pee).

So water-soluble vitamins need to be replaced often because they don't stick around! This crowd of vitamins includes vitamin C and the big group of B vitamins - B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), niacin, B6 (pyridoxine), folic acid, B12 (cobalamine), biotin, and pantothenic acid.

Vitamins Feed Your Needs

Your body is one powerful machine, capable of doing all sorts of things by itself. But when it comes to vitamins, it can use some help. That's where food comes in. Your body is able to get the vitamins it needs from the foods you eat because different foods contain different vitamins. The key is to eat different foods to get an assortment of vitamins. Though some kids take a daily vitamin, most kids don't need one if they're eating a variety of healthy foods.

Now, let's look more closely at vitamins - from A to K:

Vitamin A

This vitamin plays a really big part in eyesight. It's great for night vision, like when you're trick-or-treating on Halloween. Vitamin A helps you see in color, too, from the brightest yellow to the darkest purple. In addition, it helps your body fight infections by boosting your immune system.

Which foods are rich in vitamin A?

milk fortified with vitamin A

liver

orange fruits and vegetables (like cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes)

dark green leafy vegetables (like kale, collards, spinach)

The B Vitamins

There's more than one B vitamin. Here's the list: B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid. Whew - that's quite a group!

The B vitamins are important in metabolic (say: meh-tuh-BAH-lik) activity - this means that they help get energy from the food you eat and set it free when your body needs it. So the next time you're running to third base, thank those B vitamins.

This group of vitamins also helps make red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout your body. Every part of your body needs oxygen to work properly, so these B vitamins have a really important job.

Which foods are rich in vitamin B?

whole grains, such as wheat and oats

fish and seafood

poultry and meats

eggs

dairy products, like milk and yogurt

leafy green vegetables

beans and peas

fortified cereals

Vitamin C

This vitamin is important for keeping body tissues, such as gums, bones, and blood vessels in good shape. Vitamin C is key if you get a cut because it helps you heal. It also helps the body absorb iron from food. Kids need iron to prevent anemia.

This vitamin may also help your body fight off infections. If you get a cold, for instance, vitamin C can help shorten the amount of time you are sick.

Which foods are rich in vitamin C?

citrus fruits, like oranges

cantaloupe

strawberries

tomatoes

broccoli

cabbage

kiwi fruit

sweet red peppers

Vitamin D

No bones about it . . . vitamin D is the vitamin you need for strong bones! It's also great for forming strong teeth. Vitamin D lends a hand to an important mineral - it helps your body absorb the calcium it needs. Vitamin D is made in the skin when exposed to sunlight, or you can get it from the foods you eat.

Which foods are rich in vitamin D?

milk and other dairy fortified with vitamin D

fish

egg yolks

liver

fortified cereal

Vitamin E

Everybody needs E. This hard-working vitamin protects your cells and tissues from damage. It is also important for the health of red blood cells.

Which foods are rich in vitamin E?

whole grains, such as wheat and oats

wheat germ

leafy green vegetables

vegetable oils like sunflower, canola, and olive

egg yolks

nuts and seeds

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is the clotmaster! Remember the last time you got a cut? Your blood did something special called clotting. This is when certain cells in your blood act like glue and stick together at the surface of the cut to help stop the bleeding.

Which foods are rich in vitamin K?

leafy green vegetables

dairy products, like milk and yogurt

broccoli

soybean, canola, and olive oils

When your body gets this vitamin and the other ones it needs, you'll be feeling A-OK!

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If you're like most kids, you've probably heard at least one parent say, "Don't forget to take your vitamin!" or "Eat your salad - it's packed with vitamins!" But what exactly are vitamins? Vitamins and minerals are substances that are found in foods we eat.

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Did you ever notice how TV commercials for breakfast cereal always mention vitamins and minerals? But when you think of minerals, food isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Aren't minerals something you find in the earth, like iron and quartz?

Well, yes, but small amounts of some minerals are also in foods - for instance, meat is a good source of iron.

Like vitamins, minerals help your body grow and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to to many things - from building strong bones to sending nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat.

Let's take a closer look at some of the minerals you get from food.

Calcium

Calcium is the top mineral when it comes to your bones. This mineral helps build strong bones, so you can do everything from standing up straight to scoring that winning goal. It also helps build strong, healthy teeth, for chomping on tasty food.

Which foods are rich in calcium?

dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt

canned salmon and sardines with bones

leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli

calcium-fortified foods, like soy milk, orange juice, and cereals

Iron

The body needs iron to make hemoglobin (say: HEE-muh-glo-bun). Hemoglobin is the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Your entire body needs oxygen to stay healthy and alive.

Which foods are rich in iron?

meat, such as beef, chicken, and turkey

tuna and salmon

eggs

beans

baked potato with skins

dried fruits, like raisins

leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli

whole and enriched grains, like whole-wheat bread or oatmeal

Potassium

Potassium (say: puh-TAH-see-um) keeps your muscles, heart, and nervous system working properly.

Which foods are rich in potassium?

bananas

tomatoes

potatoes and sweet potatoes, with skins

green vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli

citrus fruits, like oranges

milk and yogurt

legumes, such as beans, split peas, and lentils

Zinc

Zinc helps your immune system, which is your body's system for fighting off illnesses and infections. It also helps with cell growth and helps heal wounds, such as cuts.

Which foods are rich in zinc?

beef, pork, and dark meat chicken

milk, yogurt, and cheese

nuts, such as cashews, almonds, and peanuts

legumes, such as beans, split peas, and lentils

When people don't get enough of these important minerals, they can have health problems. For instance, too little calcium - especially when you're a kid - can lead to weaker bones. Some kids may take a multivitamin that also has minerals, but most kids don't need them if they eat a healthy diet. So eat those minerals and stay healthy!

Date reviewed: January 2021

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Did you ever notice how TV commercials for breakfast cereal always mention vitamins and minerals? But when you think of minerals, food isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Aren't minerals something you find in the earth, like iron and quartz?

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Newsela | Milk "moo"ves over for cooler drinks

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Good old-fashioned milk, the kind from moo cows, is losing space on grocery shelves to trendy juices, not to mention soy milk, coconut milk and flax milk.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Perfect Day: All the dairy you love, with none of the dairy cows.

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Delicious animal-free dairy that's good for you and the planet. (Plus it's lactose free!)

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Story highlights

For many children, it may be their favorite part of the school day: lunchtime.

Yet what's on the menu for this midday meal can vary drastically, depending on where you live, and even could influence a child's academic performance.

"When kids eat healthier foods, this can have a really important impact on their cognitive functioning, which can then translate potentially to better academic performance," said Juliana Cohen, an assistant professor of health sciences at Merrimack College in Massachusetts and adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"So really, the healthier school meals is a win for both children and for schools," she said.

In many parts of the world, schools can barely afford classroom supplies, let alone daily meals, but nonprofit organizations or government programs often step in with feeding programs to provide free meals that include meat and veggies.

In other places, school cafeterias sell hot dishes, sandwiches and tiny milk boxes; children might pack a home-cooked meal; or they might go home for lunch.

A spotlight has been turned on what children eat for lunch in the wake of a rising obesity epidemic among the world's youth. Obesity can increase the risk of chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and even some cancers.

Globally, the number of overweight or obese children 5 and younger climbed from 32 million in 1990 to 41 million in 2016, according to the World Health Organization.

So what are they eating for lunch, and how could it affect their health? Here is a sampling of how children experience lunchtime around the world.

Where the US stands

"The United States actually has some of the best nutrition standards in the world for school meals in terms of providing healthier foods to children," Cohen said.

Yet various factors not related to nutrition value - such as the time of day or length of the lunch period - can influence how healthy school lunch can be for a child, she said.

That's particularly evident in the US, she added.

"We don't have national standards for the lunch period length, and as a result of that, we see a lot of variability within schools. Some kids have as little as 15 minutes for a lunch period. Some kids have a lot more than that," Cohen said.

She led a 2015 study, published in the Journal of the Academy of the Nutrition and Dietetics, that found shorter lunch periods to be linked with less healthy eating among children.

The study involved 1,001 students, in third to eighth grade, across six elementary and middle schools in low-income school districts across Massachusetts. The students had lunch periods that varied from 20 to 30 minutes.

The researchers found that students were significantly less likely to select a fruit as part of their lunch if they had less than 20 minutes to eat their meal, compared with at least 25 minutes.

Additionally, students with fewer than 20 minutes to eat consumed 13% less of their entrée, 10% less of their milk and 12% less of their vegetables compared with students who had at least 25 minutes to eat, the researchers found.

"Our research has shown that ideally, a child should have at least a 30-minute lunch period, which will give them enough time to actually get to the table and consume their meal," Cohen said.

"Also, research is showing that when children have access to recess before lunch, that can be a way to significantly improve their healthier meal consumption as well," in comparison with scheduling recess immediately after lunch, she said.

When it comes to the nutrition value of school lunches, Cohen pointed out that when schools collaborate with professional chefs to develop tasty and healthy lunch menus, students are more willing to eat their fruits and vegetables.

For some students, "schools can provide access to foods that children may not otherwise be able to have, and so this is an opportunity for children to have exposure to be able to eat these healthier foods when they may not be able to have them at home," Cohen said.

In the US, several federal programs support children's nutritional needs, including the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions to provide low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established in 1946.

In 2014, the program fed about 30 million children each school day and cost $12.7 billion. Two years later in 2016, the program provided reduced-cost or free lunches to more than 30.4 million children at a cost of $13.6 billion.

Healthy lunches are important in the US since the percentage of children and teens affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's estimated that nearly one in five school-age children and teens is obese.

Last year, the Trump administration scaled back school meal nutritional requirements that were set under the Obama administration in 2012, allowing states to grant exemptions to schools when meeting certain lunch menu standards related to whole grains, salt and milk.

Some of the changes made included allowing schools to serve 1% flavored milk instead of fat-free flavored milk and included exemptions to schools experiencing challenges in meeting the standard for providing 100% whole-grain-rich foods.

On the other side of the globe, Japan is one country that has stood out to Cohen in terms of the quality of the school lunch experience.

'A really beautiful concept'

"I was fortunate enough to be able to go and actually see for myself a school lunch there, and one of the things that I thought was particularly nice about it was that the children serve each other," Cohen said.

"They are able to sit in the classroom, in a more relaxed environment, to have the food, and one thing that really stood out to me was how often the children were willing to at least try a taste of the different foods on their trays - in part, out of respect to say thank you to the people who had spent all that time making that meal," she said. "I thought that was a really beautiful concept."

Outside school, however, household income is associated with food and nutrient intake among schoolchildren in Japan, according to a study published last year in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

The study involved 409 boys and 427 girls in the fifth grade across 19 schools in East Japan. The children, with the support of their parents, kept dietary records with photographs over a four-day period. Two of those days involved school lunch, and two did not. Meanwhile, the parents completed a questionnaire about their socioeconomic status.

"Our study confirmed an association between household income and the amount of foods and nutrients consumed by Japanese schoolchildren, and suggested that school lunches play a role in reducing disparities in the diets of children from households with various incomes," the researchers wrote in the study.

In some countries, school lunch has been a way not only to reduce disparities but also to combat childhood hunger.

'School feeding programs are ubiquitous'

Brazil has the world's oldest school feeding program, providing daily meals to more than 43 million of the country's children, according to the World Food Programme.

School feeding has been mandatory in primary and secondary schools in Brazil since 1955, and in 2009, policy was introduced to establish a 30% minimum quota of using organic agricultural products from local farmers in the program, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

"In Brazil, we have some limitations about processed food or food with sugar, salt, saturated fat in the composition," said Marcela Veiros, a researcher in the department of nutrition at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil.

"We offer mainly fresh food prepared from scratch in schools by food handlers. Menus are developed and supervised by nutritionists from municipality or state governments. The federal government improved and supported local and family farmers in Brazil to produce food to be delivered to schools," she said. "The recommendation also is to use local and typical products, in respect to cultural and food habits, and native environment."

India has one of the world's largest school meals projects. Through the Akshaya Patra Foundation, the program feeds more than 1.6 million children a free midday meal in government-aided and government schools across 12 states.

Across 69 countries, the humanitarian organization World Food Programme implemented or supported school meal programs in 2016. Through the program, school meals were provided to 16.4 million children, according to its website.

In Tunisia, some of the students receiving these meals are also employed as caterers, and in places like Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, some are Syrian refugees, according to the World Food Programme.

In other parts of the world, however, school lunch is not as common.

A paper published last year in the journal Healthcare in Low-resource Settings assessed health services in primary schools in Nigeria's Enugu East and found that lunch was given by only one private school. One public school had a free meal program, but it collapsed.

Most of the private schools in the paper attributed their lack of school lunches to costs and to the objection of parents who would rather prepare meals for their children.

Join the conversation

See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

Whether provided through a humanitarian or governmental program, about how much do school feeding programs cost?

A 2013 study published in the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin found that school feeding programs cost about $173 per child per year, ranging from an average of $54 in low-income countries to an average of $693 in high-income countries.

The study also showed that the range of costs in low-income countries decreased between 2005 and 2008 by about 35%, suggesting that some cost-containment measures had been implemented during that time. The researchers took a close look at costs in both years.

The study involved data on 74 countries that came from multiple sources, including United Nations databases, the World Food Programme, government ministry reports and previously published studies.

"School feeding programs are ubiquitous in high-, middle-, and low-income countries," the researchers wrote in the study.

"Moreover, many countries for which data are available do not seem to be seeking to cease providing food to their schoolchildren," they wrote. "Many countries in fact appear to be seeking to expand the coverage of their programs and establish them as national programs mainstreamed into national policy."

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How school lunches measure up in countries around the world | CNN

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For many children, it may be their favorite part of the school day: lunchtime. Yet what's on the menu for this midday meal can vary drastically, depending on where you live, and even could influence a child's academic performance.

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President Trump Loosens School Lunch Rules

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Campaign news | Jamie Oliver campaigns | Jamie Oliver

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Find out about Jamie Oliver’s campaigns and how you can get involved, here.

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by Bettina Elias Siegel

As those who've followed "Food Revolution" know, Jamie Oliver has decided to make flavored milk Public Enemy Number One.

In the first episode of this season, J.O. filled a school bus to near-bursting with white sand to demonstrate how much sugar is in the flavored milk offered to Los Angeles USD students each week.* He's also circulating an online petition to get flavored milk out of American schools, a petition that's heavily promoted on his Food Revolution Facebook page and Twitter. (Faced with this pressure, and perhaps also to resuscitate LAUSD's public image - which has been battered quite a bit on "Food Revolution" - the new Los Angeles schools superintendent announced yesterday that he'll ask the LAUSD board in to consider a flavored milk ban.)

Of course, Jamie Oliver is not alone in wanting flavored milk out of schools. Many other people (whom I respect) also argue for a flavored milk ban - including Chef Ann Cooper (who famously refers to flavored milk as "soda in drag") and the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. (The recent coverage by the mainstream media of sugar's alleged toxicity has only added fuel to the fire.) But it's Jamie Oliver, with his winning personality and broad media reach, who has suddenly made the issue a topic of national conversation.

At times like this, when the populace is out with pitchforks and torches, it feels safer to lay low until the commotion dies down. Moreover, anyone who comes to the defense of flavored milk is often accused of being co-opted (or haplessly brainwashed) by the dairy industry, which obviously has a vested interest in keeping flavored milk in school cafeterias.

But I have some niggling concerns about JO's War on Flavored Milk and finally decided I was being a wimp by remaining silent. Keep in mind, I'm not pro-flavored milk by any means. I'm just anti-ban, and here's why:
Lack of Consensus
While everyone agrees that lowering kids' sugar intake is a good idea in this age of childhood obesity, things get a little trickier when it comes to flavored milk. On one end of the spectrum, there are parents who feel strongly that milk is an important part of a child's diet and they're willing to overlook the added sugar if necessary to get their kids to drink it. On the other end of the spectrum, there are parents who feel the added sugar is a terrible thing and insist that kids will drink plain milk if no flavored milk is offered. There are parents in the middle (like me) who allow flavored milk as an occasional treat. And then there are parents who believe that neither flavored milk nor plain milk is a necessary part of a child's diet and that we've all been sold a bill of goods by the dairy industry.

Meanwhile, there's no clear consensus in the medical/nutrition community to settle the debate. Whatever you may think of the scientific validity of their positions, or the degree to which they have, or have not, been influenced by the nefarious dairy lobby (and I offer no opinion on either point), here are some leading organizations that currently support flavored milk in schools: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association, the National Medical Association, the National Hispanic Medical Association and the School Nutrition Association. In addition, the Institute of Medicine, whose recommendations will form the basis of the new, forthcoming school food regulations, also accepts the presence of flavored milk in schools. (Dentists, apparently, can't reach a consensus on the issue.)

I mention these organizations not as an endorsement of their views but merely to point out why a well-meaning parent could easily feel conflicted about flavored milk, getting one message from Jamie Oliver and another, diametrically opposed view from a trusted pediatrician or pediatric dietician.
Milk Consumption Drops When Flavored Milk Is Banned
My fellow school food blogger Ed Bruske, aka The Slow Cook, has written many posts in support of a flavored milk ban (which I encourage you to read as a counterpoint to this piece). In one such post, Ed cites a recent Institute of Medicine report which concluded that most Americans are getting sufficient calcium, with the exception of one subset of the population, girls aged 9-18.

One could conclude from that sentence that we don't have a problem with calcium consumption in America, but here are two questions that came to my mind when I read it:

First, would children currently getting sufficient calcium continue to do so if flavored milk were removed from schools? A recent study which looked at 58 elementary and secondary schools found that on days when only white milk was offered in cafeterias, milk consumption dropped an average of 35 percent. Yes, yes, I know that study was funded by the dairy industry, and maybe it's all bunk. But on a purely anecdotal basis, I have never heard of any school district that did not see a significant, lasting drop in milk consumption when flavored milk was discontinued. (If any of you have data to the contrary, please do let me know.)

If you don't believe me, check out this photo taken in Houston schools documenting children's refusal to drink white milk as part of our universal, in-class breakfast program (in which only white milk is offered.) Each and every day, carton after carton of unopened milk is thrown away (and cannot be donated to food banks under a local city ordinance). And in a meeting yesterday, HISD indicated that - almost one year after the breakfast program was fully rolled out - kids still don't want the white milk, disproving the notion that children inured to flavored milk will eventually drink plain if they have no choice.

Second, what about those girls aged 9-18 who were found by the IOM study to be getting insufficient calcium? There's probably no subset of the population for whom calcium consumption is more important, given that women's long-term bone strength is dependent, in part, upon calcium consumption during these exact years of critical growth. Shouldn't we be worried about taking away a one of the best dietary sources of calcium from their school meals? And that leads me to my next concern . . .
Reliance on Other Sources of Calcium May Not be Reasonable
I'm not a dietician and don't even play one on TV. But just looking at the major dietary sources of calcium, I worry about kids who stop drinking all milk after a flavored milk ban, yet still need a recommended 1300 mg of calcium a day. To make naturally sour yogurt palatable to a broad population of children, you have to add quite a bit of sugar. An over-reliance on cheese would most likely exceed existing fat limits for school food. Dark, leafy greens at least when ineptly prepared, as they are by most school cafeterias (see this sad picture of bok choy served in Houston ISD) and sardines or canned salmon with bones are nonstarters.

In his above-cited post, Ed Bruske argues that a fortified cereal like Total can supply necessary calcium that's lost when milk is no longer consumed at lunch. But what about the millions of American school children who eat lunch at school but not breakfast?

I guess I'm just not confident that kids will get necessary calcium without drinking milk, and whether we like it or not, a lot of them will only drink it when flavored.

But let's say I'm wrong about everything I've said so far - and I certainly might be as I claim no expertise in these areas. Now let's turn to my last, and most important, concern about JO's Chocolate Milk War.
Is a Flavored Milk Ban the Best Use of Our Energy Right Now?
I recently met (via email) Justin Gagnon, CEO of Choicelunch, a California school food catering company mentioned on TLT last week. Somehow he and I got to chatting about flavored milk, and Justin summed up beautifully my overall feeling about Jamie Oliver's crusade:

I've walked the floor of the CSNA [California School Nutrition Association] and SNA [School Nutrition Association] national show multiple times, and I'm frankly a little bummed that the best Jamie came away with was chocolate milk. What about "Uncrustables"? Or "pancake and sausage sandwiches"? Or "commodity processors"? Processors are in business simply to take your government chicken and grind it, pump it with soy fillers to offset fat, and mold it into a dinosaur. These are kinds of issues are far more problematic than flavored milk in my view. . . . I get that chocolate milk is an easy target - there's a viable alternative (white milk), there's a singular enemy (sugar), and there's a like for like comparison to another villain (soda, when compared strictly on a gram by gram basis).

Seemingly low hanging fruit here, and I get it. I don't want my daughter drinking chocolate milk, and if so, only sparingly. But on the macro level, instead of addressing what I feel are much larger issues, we're bringing the fight to something kids love, and quite frankly, parents are split in terms of their position (even those who are adequately armed with all of the facts). In my view, this is a bad play that is only further polarizing parents on sides of the issues instead of unifying.

To Justin's list of issues on which Jamie Oliver might have focused this year (complete with an online petition and calls to action) I would add:

the woeful inadequacy of school food funding - ie., the fact that far more than a six cent increase is needed to "revolutionize" school food;

the legality of incorporating ammonia-treated "pink slime" in ground beef sold to schools;

the need for Congress to provide funding to upgrade school kitchens around the country, many of which can do little more than deep fry and reheat;

the lack of access to drinking water in school cafeterias and the degree to which the new requirement to provide water is an unfunded mandate many schools will have trouble meeting;

the complete junk sold on cafeteria a la carte lines that passes for "healthy" (even under the new IOM standards) like Baked Flaming Hot Cheetos and Rice Krispie Treats.

and on and on . . .
What About Finding a Middle Ground?
It seems to me that there's enough disagreement among parents and professionals on the flavored milk issue that a middle ground solution is called for. For example, what about flavored milk with significantly less sugar? I recently interviewed School Food FOCUS (post forthcoming), a group that brings together the largest school districts in America to demand better products from food producers. Using their considerable market power, some districts have been able to force dairies to make lower sugar flavored milk, and I've been told that my own Houston school district (7th largest in the country) is embarking on a similar effort. Wouldn't that be an idea worth considering before we ban a beverage that so many people seem to want to keep around?

And finally, there is the issue of parental choice. When it comes to something utterly non-nutritive in schools, like sodas in vending machines or sugary birthday treats in the classroom, I'm not cool with the argument that says,"Just tell your kid not to eat/drink it." That approach, in my opinion, puts an unfair burden on children for no good purpose. But there's enough room for debate on the flavored milk issue that in this case, I, for one, am willing to live and let live.

* * *

Given the current anti-flavored milk fervor out there, I'm going to hit the "publish" button on this post and then run for deep cover. I'll tiptoe back later and read your comments, of which I'm guessing there will be many. And I'll let you know if the JO camp decides to strip me of my Food Revolution November Blog of the Month honor. (They can't do that, can they?)

* School food advocate Dana Woldow pointed out in a comment on TLT that the sugar in Jamie's school bus "represents the sugar available to the 650,000 kids in the LAUSD, a population large enough to fill 7 stadiums (stadia?) the size of the approximately 92,000-seat Rose Bowl. So to get a true picture of the amount of sugar per kid per week, you have to imagine the sugar pile cut into seven parts, then each part divided by the number of people in the Rose Bowl picture. . . ." Whatever you think about the present level of sugar in flavored milk - and I agree it's too high - definitely click on the Rose Bowl picture to get some perspective on the school bus stunt.

[Ed Update: I didn't realize that Ed Bruske has another anti-flavored-milk post today (I think we must have published within a few hours of each other!) that could have been written as a direct response to this post. You can check it out here.]

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My Problem With Jamie Oliver's War on Flavored Milk - The Lunch Tray

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As those who've followed "Food Revolution" know, Jamie Oliver has decided to make flavored milk Public Enemy Number One. In the first episode of this season, J.O. filled a school bus to near-bursting with white sand to demonstrate how much sugar is in the flavored milk offered to Los Angeles USD students each week.* He's also [...]

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LOS ANGELES — Chocolate milk has long been seen as the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down, but the nation's childhood obesity epidemic has a growing number of people wondering whether that's wise.

With schools under increasing pressure to offer healthier food, the staple on children's cafeteria trays has come under attack over the very ingredient that makes it so popular - sugar.

Some school districts have gone as far as prohibiting flavored milk, and Florida considered a statewide ban in schools. Other districts have sought a middle ground by replacing flavored milks containing high-fructose corn syrup with versions containing sugar, which some see as a more natural sweetener.

Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district, is the latest district to tackle the issue. Superintendent John Deasy recently announced he would push this summer to remove chocolate and strawberry milk from school menus.

But nutritionists - and parents - are split over whether bans make sense, especially when about 70% of milk consumed in schools is flavored, mostly chocolate, according to the industry-backed Milk Processors Education Program.

Many, including the School Nutrition Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, and National Medical Association, argue that the nutritional value of flavored low-fat or skim milk outweighs the harm of added sugar.Milk contains nine essential nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and protein.

A joint statement from those groups points to studies that show kids who drink fat-free, flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers.

"Chocolate milk has been unfairly pegged as one of the causes of obesity," said Julie Buric, vice president of marketing for the Milk Processors Education Program.

Others note the nation's child obesity epidemic and say flavored milk simply needs to go.

Eight ounces of white milk served in Los Angeles public schools contains 14 grams of natural sugar or lactose; fat-free chocolate milk has an extra six grams of sugar for a total of 20 grams, while fat-free strawberry milk has a total of 27 grams - the same as eight ounces of Coca-Cola.

"Chocolate milk is soda in drag," said Ann Cooper, director of nutrition services for the Boulder Valley School District in Louisville, Colo., which has banned flavored milk. "It works as a treat in homes, but it doesn't belong in schools."

Flavored milk is also a target of British TV chef Jamie Oliver, who has made revamping school food a signature cause.

For a segment to be aired on his "Food Revolution" TV show, he recently filled a school bus with white sand to represent the amount of sugar Los Angeles Unified school children consume weekly in flavored milk.

"If you have flavored milk, that's candy," he said.

Oliver cheered Deasy's proposal to remove flavored milk from schools during a recent joint appearance on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show.

If the school board adopts the ban, Los Angeles Unified would join districts including Washington and Berkeley, Calif.

But efforts by some other districts turned sour after children drank less milk. Milk consumption drops 35% when flavored milks are removed, according to the Milk Processors Education Program.

Cabell County, W.Va., schools brought chocolate milk back at the recommendation of state officials, and Fairfax County, Va., did the same after its dairy provider came up with a version sweetened with beet sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup.

The Florida Board of Education also backed away from its proposed ban on chocolate milk after the state agricultural commissioner urged the board to look at all sugary food and beverages served in schools.

The Los Angeles district has worked with its dairy supplier on flavored versions using the sweetener Truvia and chicory, district spokesman Robert Alaniz said.

Cooper and others argued children will drink plain milk if that's what's offered.

"We've taught them to drink chocolate milk, so we can unteach them that," Cooper said. "Our kids line up for milk."

Boulder Valley hasn't been barraged with complaints since removing chocolate milk two years ago, but it hasn't tracked whether milk consumption has dropped, she said.

Parents line up on both sides of the issue.

Deborah Bellholt, a South Los Angeles mother, said none of her six children ranging from pre-school to high school age will drink plain milk. "By allowing kids flavored milk, they still get the calcium they need," she said. "If not, they'd bypass it."

But Mimi Bonetti, a suburban Los Angeles mother with two elementary school-age children who drink plain milk, said she gets angry that chocolate milk is portrayed as nutritious. Children can get calcium and other nutrients from other foods, she said.

"If you offer them the choice of chocolate or plain, of course they're going to choose chocolate," Bonetti said. "When you're telling kids that drinking chocolate milk is a healthy choice, it's sending the wrong message."

Ask kids, and most vote for chocolate. Suburban Los Angeles seventh-grader Nacole Johnson said plain milk tastes yucky. If there were no chocolate milk, "I wouldn't drink it," she saiad.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar - USATODAY.com

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Chocolate milk has long been seen as the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down, but the nation's childhood obesity epidemic has a growing number of people wondering whether that's wise.

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3 Reasons Schools Should Ban Chocolate Milk

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3 Reasons Schools Should Ban Chocolate Milk