Does Banning Chocolate Milk in School Really Backfire?!?
| April 18, 2014 | Posted by Stacy under Cafeteria food, Chocolate milk, Healthy lunch, School lunch |
Eliminating chocolate milk in school cafeterias is a subject of great debate, and one that I have yet to tackle on this blog. But the results of a new study have prompted me to break my silence.
Normally I’m a big fan of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab’s work, but its latest research has me scratching my head. The study, titled “Chocolate Milk Consequences: A Pilot Study Evaluating the Consequences of Banning Chocolate Milk in School Cafeterias,” examined what happened when chocolate and other flavored milks were removed from the cafeterias at 11 Oregon elementary schools. Researchers evaluated milk sales, milk waste, daily participation in the National School Lunch Program, and school enrollment after the milk switch and compared it with stats from the previous year.
The study results have been broadcast as bad news for the parents, teachers, nutrition advocates and organizations (including Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution) who have fought hard to do away with flavored milks that can have up to 4 teaspoons of added sugar per 8-ounce serving.
But Upon Closer Look…
Before hitting the panic button, let’s take a hard look at those study findings:
Fewer kids purchased milk overall When chocolate milk was removed from the cafeteria, milk sales dropped by 9.9 percent, according to the Cornell Food and Brand Lab study. But 90.1 percent of kids participating in the lunch program did, in fact, opt for white milk. That, to me, is an impressive shift that was glossed over in the research paper.
More milk went in the trash At the end of each meal, students were instructed to pour leftover milk into a bucket where it was later measured using a “reliable visual estimation technique.” According to the findings, milk waste increased by 29.4 percent. But wait just a minute: The researchers didn’t have data on milk waste from the previous year at the 11 Oregon schools, so they used results from five New York City elementary schools (where chocolate milk was still available) as a comparison. Hmmmm.
School lunch participation dropped The number of kids buying school lunch decreased by 6.8 percent after the elimination of chocolate and other flavored milks. But this hardly proves a cause and effect. As the study authors admit, other factors, such as the removal of “bonus items” including cookies, and an increase in meal price, may have come into play. I can’t help but wonder why parents weren’t surveyed to try to determine the real reason for the drop in participation.
Then There’s the Fine Print
The study was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has close ties to MilkPEP, a well-funded marketing group made of up milk processors that is committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. Though the researchers note that the USDA wasn’t involved in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript, it is always important to follow the money trail.
In its email release of the study, the Cornell Food & Brand Lab specifically states, “It is our hope that together we can use this research to support milk sales and consumption among school children.” Even the title of the study–with the use of the word “consequences” and “banning”–plays up the negatives.
And if that isn’t enough to cast doubt on this study, consider this Got Milk? campaign ad featuring Cornell Food and Brand Lab director Brian Wansink:
While I certainly don’t mean to suggest any impropriety, it’s interesting to note that Wansink served as executive director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion around the time that MilkPEP started a $500,000 to $1M Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk campaign to increase chocolate milk consumption in schools.
Last but not least, the Food and Brand Lab chocolate milk study only lasted one year. What would happen if they gave it more time? Would more kids start choosing and drinking white milk as it gradually became the norm?
Where I Stand On The Chocolate Milk Debate
For the record, I am not anti-milk. My kids drink it (plain, not chocolate). Can it be part of a healthy diet? Absolutely. (Unless, of course, a child has a dairy allergy or is lactose intolerant). Should children be consuming more of it, even if it comes loaded with added sugar and other undesirable ingredients such as artificial flavors and carrageenan?!? It seems the dairy industry is spending a lot of money to have us believe so.
Here’s my two cents:
- While chocolate milk is fine as an occasional treat, drinking it every day of the week seems unwise.
- Kids who eat breakfast and lunch at school may be consuming up to two flavored milks a day, resulting in a considerable amount of added sugars in their diet.
- Offering chocolate and other sugary flavored milks at school, when parents aren’t around to help guide kids on making healthy choices, isn’t the best idea.
- The study highlights the potential economic downsides of eliminating chocolate milk from school cafeterias. Please, let’s make this about kids’ health, not the money!!!
I do appreciate how the study suggests ways to encourage kids to choose white milk over chocolate (rather than removing the chocolate milk altogether). I certainly think this could be something to explore. But as the researchers admit, “While making white milk relatively more convenient, attractive, and normal to choose (relative to chocolate milk) will lead some children to switch from chocolate to white, it will not influence all children.”
Given the obvious flaws in this study, I don’t believe it should serve as evidence for keeping chocolate, strawberry and (yes!) root beer flavored milks in school cafeterias.
I created this blog to raise awareness and start a dialogue about the various issues involved in school food. By writing about it, I hope to provide parents and educators with ideas and inspiration for making healthy changes in their own schools. Since healthy eating habits start at home, I also address common feeding challenges faced by parents.
Thanks for writing this so I didn’t have to. With a family history of diabetes, the sugary milk and juices are big reasons why I pack my children’s lunches. I had not seen the picture of Brian Wansink in the milk ad before and have a hard time accepting studies funded by industries with a vested interest in the outcome. Our country has made great progress in the treatment of diabetes but is failing miserably when it comes to prevention. Reducing children’s consumption of sugary drinks would help and schools are a major source of those sugary drinks.
Thank you for your comment, Casey. There is a lot of money going into squashing efforts to remove flavored milks from school cafeterias, and I don’t believe it’s in the best interest of our children. I’m disappointed in this study because of the “vested interest in the outcome” that you refer to. Let’s get a fair and balanced study on chocolate milk in the cafeteria and then we can talk!
Such a great post. I definitely smell a rat (several, in fact) in the school kitchen on this one. I think chocolate milk in schools is totally unnecessary. Same goes for juice. I pack my 8-year-old son’s lunch almost every day with water as the beverage. He drinks plenty of regular milk at home (although I’m becoming less and less convinced kids need as much dairy as the USDA recommends!). He also gets an occasional treat of chocolate milk, juice or soda at home. (I know–soda, gasp!–but I don’t believe in banning anything completely or it becomes the forbidden fruit.)
Sometimes it feels like packing a lunch from home is the only option. It shouldn’t have to be that way! When I let my kids buy school lunch earlier this year, I reviewed the menu with them and talked to them about what to choose, but they still ended up buying Tru Moo chocolate milk and a hot dog. Aiyiyi!
Stacy, excellent post! Thanks for delving into the study and exposing its many flaws. It’s total b.s. Really, it’s infuriating on so many levels. I hope the study continues for 3 to 5 years, so we can see what happens down the line. It’s ridiculous to think kids who are addicted to liquid candy are suddenly going to be thrilled when it’s not an option. But somehow, I think kids — even junk-food-addicted American kids — can survive. Oy, I’m getting all riled up!
Thanks for all your helpful feedback, Suzanne! And I’m right with you on being disappointed with this study. Liquid candy–you said it!!
Great article! So many people do not look closer at the how studies are run to see if they are well designed! This study does not seem like it was well delivered. Also interesting tie to the milk people. I truly believe that kids who are used to drinking chocolate milk will eventually come around. Change takes time. Chocolate milk daily is a whole lot of extra sugar that is not going to help keep our kids healthy (because it is never just the chocolate milk). I also believe that the sweetness of flavored milk can be a gateway to soda and other sweet beverages. Kids taste buds will take some time to adjust. Plus, I am sure the kids were not happy about the sweetened milk ban. Thanks for being on top of this!
Thank you, Amy!! Kids would adjust over time, I’m certain of it. And who knows why the lunch participation really dropped. I don’t know any kid who would want to eat veggies while sipping chocolate milk, either. Thanks for taking the time to come by and comment. 🙂
I really appreciated the article in general and specifically in regard to pointing out the flaws in the over-all study. One really needs to look very closely on how studies are run and how “believe-able” some of the findings are.
I do have say though that I generally do not believe that children need to drink as much milk as they are supposed to. We do not drink lactose free milk as well as almond milk in our household due to a slight lactose sensitivity my daughter as well as I have. Growing up in a European country and not living in the USA until my early 20s I NEVER had as much milk as is recommended. In fact we never had milk with a meal but rather water instead. Milk was actually a snack or part of a snack. Most of the milk nowadays is full of added sugar anyways, not just the flavored milks, just like juices are. I personally believe the healthiest milk is the full fat milk since it is the closest to the “real” thing that comes out of a cow. Due to the rising obesity rate in children as well as adults the fat got taken out but maybe if it was not such a requirement to drink with every meal we could introduce the “real” full fat milk again. Essentially it comes back down to personal choices and teaching children to make them.
It can be done but takes a lot of effort.
Also, maybe we can look at other part of the school lunch menu that need changing more than milk?
Bettina — I don’t know about you, but I am pretty disappointed by this study. I really haven’t had chocolate milk on my agenda–and that’s part of why I’ve never posted about it. I get your point on whole milk: I think it’s a great one! I would rather see kids drinking milk over juice. But I’m not really sure that we can expect young ones to refuse chocolate milk, even if they are being educated at home. And then there are the kids who are not being taught to make healthy choices; we don’t want to abandon them. I hear and respect your arguments but I guess I’ve grown suspicious of the intention of those serving up chocolate and flavored milks to school kids every day, sometimes twice a day. Is it really for their health, or for economic reasons?
Drink whole milk, not skimmed milk.
Looking over the press releases, the dairy industry got a lot of mileage playing up the drop in milk consumption seen in this study. Cornell is one of the big schools for dairy science; NY is one of the big three in milk production. There was a drop in protein, calcium, and an increase in waste and fat. But, in the real world, is this important? In the discussion, the authors do hedge a bit calling this study exploratory though you’d never get that from the dairy industry press releases, and the stories in the major media outlets.
Agree with you about the time given for the change. Ann Cooper, who runs food service for our local school district, says you can’t expect everything to improve overnight. Takes time. Takes educating consumers (kids and parents).
Maybe we should give kids more string cheese snacks to get that protein and calcium into them? At least no one is suggesting adding sugar to cheese to make it palatable. 🙂
Sharon — Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have Ann Cooper running food service for our local school district! I enjoyed her story in US News and World Report this week. We need more education for kids and parents, but also more inspired food service professionals who understand that it takes time and are willing to get creative and thoughtful about the food that they’re serving. And EXCELLENT point about the cheese!!!! I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks so much for coming by!
Great article. There are many flaws in the study and you did an excellent job pointing them out.
Flavored milk does not belong in school. I have been a long time advicate against flavored milk in schools. In my previous life as Executive Director of a large CT school district we eliminated flavored milk from our schools. Milk consumption decreased at first but it also came back to near the same levels when flavored milk was available. Our menu s consisted of minimally processed foods with an abundance of fresh, local foods on the menu, including salad bars in every school.. Washing this delicious, healthy food down with flavored, sugar laden milk seemed ridiculous, so we eliminated it.
We also eliminated all a la carte foods from our schools and focused on the meal of the day. We felt that students are in school to learn and we wanted to start that education in the cafe. In addition we had a high percentage of students who qualified for free & reduced meals and selling a la carte foods was taking food off of the dinner table at home.
Flavored milk and sugary treats have a place as an occasional snack forchildren but not at school.
Timothy — Thanks so much for your comment. I love hearing from and about food service professionals like you who are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that students eat well and are educated about food! I’m wondering how long it took milk consumption to return to the level that it was back when flavored milk was offered. If you can, please let me know!