Today is World School Milk Day
In the United States, almost 30 million students each day eat a school lunch and 14.6 million eat school breakfast, according to the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. Milk is a required part of those meals.
An important part to a healthy diet, school milk has always been an easy way for children to receive essential nutrients for their growing bodies. In recent years, however, some schools have strayed away from providing milk in their lunch programs due to high sugar content.
While milk beverages have lower amounts of sugar than juice, lemonade and soda, new sugar reduction techniques are giving dairy products a competitive edge in grocery stores and in the lunch room.
“Milk is the number-one source of nine essential vitamins and minerals in children’s diets, and when its consumption drops, the overall nutritional intake of America’s kids is jeopardized,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.
Dairy farmers are encouraging school children to raise a carton of milk today and every day as fluid milk consumption sees a rise in sales particularly during the school year. Not only does consuming milk help support a growing body, but it has also shown higher academic performance, according to one Korean study.
Want to learn more about milk being served in schools? Check out:
- Flavored Milk is Back in Session for Pennsylvania Schools
- There May Be More Milk in School Lunches
- Dairy Leaders Commend USDA for Expanding School Milk Options
