The cafeteria staple is full of important nutrients—but also tons of sugar. Ann Cooper, the head of nutrition services for the Boulder Valley School District in Louisville, Colorado, also champions the cause to ban chocolate milk from schools. “Our job is to change demand,” she said. There is a legitimate case to be made for reducing the added sugar in school milk without having to resort to misrepresentation. Tempers flare, sound bites replace facts, and everyone digs in, determined not to yield an inch. Now their banning the last high calorie drink option I have in school; also children, especially highschoolers, should have a choice as to whether or not they want to make healthy options. However, flavored milk’s opponents are right to object to the amount of added sugar in current formulations of the product. The issue at hand is that school districts don’t want to encourage high sugar intake for their kids. The Tempe Elementary School District in Arizona is the latest district to ban chocolate milk, And the New York City Department of Education could be among the next to cut the drink from school menus in an effort to make school lunches healthier, District Administration reports. With Michelle Obama’s war against childhood obesity, school cafeteria’s across the country are working to make their lunch menus healthier. School districts are big customers, and they can use their buying power to force the dairies they do business with to dial back the sugar. 3 Reasons Schools Should Ban Chocolate Milk. As we move closer to the 2012-13 school year implementation of the new Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act school meal requirements, which the USDA estimates will cost 64 cents per student per day to implement, but for which the government is providing only 6 cents, it is more important than ever that advocates for better school food be able to come together behind needed reforms. Some schools have banned flavored milk altogether, but studies sponsored by the dairy industry show that when this happens, milk consumption overall drops about 37%. Studies have shown that removing flavored milk from schools results in a dramatic drop in milk consumption, which means these kids miss out on essential … Berkeley, Calif., schools banned chocolate milk, and Florida school officials are considering it. Each side trots out their own medical professionals, dietitians or fervent parent supporters to explain why their view is the only rational one. By contrast, all 26g sugar in 8 oz. We should ban chocolate milk. For example, they could drop strawberry milk altogether, since it usually has even more added sugar than chocolate, plus artificial coloring. Chocolate Milk in Schools: Ban it, Keep it, or Change it. “Chocolate milk is soda [dressed up],” stated the self-pro-claimed Renegade Lunch Lady. Already, the USDA has moved to ease restrictions on whole grains, sodium, and chocolate milk, with rules finalized in December. On Sep. 6, six … At the beginning of … Let’s start using our power as consumers to dial it back – waaay back – not just in our schools, but in our entire food supply. The optimistic attitude these students exude is the result of adults working together toward the real issue, raising healthy kids. Your email address will not be published. 2. Your students will read arguments on both sides and then take a stand. It’s time for a truce in the chocolate milk wars. Plain white milk contains lactose, a form of sugar which occurs naturally in milk. The district stopped offering flavored milk in June 2010, and by April 2011, it was reported that a new lower sugar version of chocolate milk would be reintroduced to the schools. A proposed ban on chocolate milk in New York City public schools has divided parents, lawmakers and dairy farmers across the state. After the ban, total daily milk sales declined by almost 10%, white milk sales increased by around 160 cartons per day but almost … A conflict over whether schools should offer flavored milk has been raging for years, pitting advocates for better school food against each other. And that can have just as much sugar as chocolate milk. There has been a debate that has caught people’s eye. What do you think? Your email address will not be published. Citing health concerns, including sugar content, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza and … “Chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice in schools,” according to the campaign’s pitch, “and kids will drink less milk and get fewer nutrients if it’s taken away.” Parents whose children drink plain milk at home, say they don’t want their kids tempted by flavored milk at school. School food directors worry that with flavored milk off the menu, fewer students will eat school meals. Some parents argue that even though chocolate milk does have a higher sugar count than regular milk, kids still get much needed calcium and Vitamin D. So are the extra calories worth it? It is magical thinking to believe that Americans, who typically consume 156 pounds of added sugar per year, will simply stop, cold turkey. They can’t be serious. Others say it’s a healthy treat. New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza is whipping up a big milk war by proposing a ban flavored milk in schools. The Banning Chocolate Milk debate.. When school food reformers play fast and loose with the facts, it tarnishes the credibility of everyone working towards better school food. According to the New York Post, DOE sources said the proposed ban stemmed out of health concerns, including the sugar content in … Is this something that school districts should be concerned with? Should schools be banning chocolate milk? That’s just what happened in Fairfax (Va.) County Public Schools, the 11th largest district in the country. They could position the chocolate milk at the very end of the line, after the plain milk, as recommended by Brian Wansink, of the Center for Behavioral Economics and Childhood Nutrition at Cornell University, whose research has shown that this simple, no cost move increases the amount of plain milk kids choose. Why not start by demanding that dairies reduce the added sugar in flavored milk to 4 grams per 8 oz (that’s 1 teaspoon, or the same amount of sugar many adults add to their morning coffee or tea), and nothing artificial, please. The fixed expenses of labor and overhead eat up more than half of a school’s nutrition budget, so any drop in the revenue from meals served can result in cuts to the quality of the food for those who continue to eat school meals, typically the poorest students. “It does have some value. From the December 2016 / January 2017 Issue. While added sugar is not the sole cause of obesity, the American diet contains far too much added sugar, and even parents who allow chocolate milk say they wish it were not so sweet. New Brunswick's public schools are getting rid of chocolate milk and juices in a revamped nutrition policy that Education Minister Brian Kenny announced on Wednesday. Obesity is a life-style issue and I don’t think that banning any one item like chocolate milk will cause any noticeable change at all. Chocolate Milk in Schools: Ban it, Keep it, or Change it? The San Francisco Unified School District’s board of education voted to add chocolate milk to a long list of banned food items in the city’s schools starting in elementary and middle schools this fall. According to TODAY, some experts say chocolate milk is a great alternative for kids who don't enjoy plain milk, as long as it's consumed in moderation.. Norma Reid-Archibald, a dietician and nutritionist with NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, said that chocolate milk is a good alternative for kids who may not want to drink plain milk. Schools in Washington DC, Florida, California, and Colorado have already done it, while other districts are still debating the issue. The reformulated milk has 22g total sugar per 8oz serving, a reduction of over 20%. That sounds like a healthy move, but it turns out to be controversial after all. First Lady Michelle Obama has focused mostly on getting kids to exercise more (Let’s Move), but she also told USA Today that consumers need to apply pressure on food producers. Other opponents include those who support the view that sugar is toxic, and some high profile school food reformers like Ann Cooper, who calls chocolate milk “soda in drag” – and Jamie Oliver, who says it is just like candy. But does banning chocolate milk in the school actually address the problems? Researchers at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab have released a new study regarding school chocolate milk that’s getting some press.. Much has been written about how too much sugar has crept into every aspect of the American diet, from soup to nuts. A few school districts across the US have voted to ban chocolate milk, however in most schools it remains a staple where 70% of milk consumed in schools is flavored and low-fat chocolate is the favorite choice. Some say it’s too sugary. children consume in one week just from drinking chocolate milk. The city's school district will ban chocolate milk in elementary and middle schools this fall and in high schools in the spring, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday. The outlet reported that the city considered such a ban back in 2006 after it banned whole milk. Some switch to fruit juice. A national debate is heating up over whether chocolate milk should be sold at schools. Some districts have banned flavored milk due to its sugar content, while some nutritionists say … The study looked at milk consumption in 11 Oregon elementary school cafeterias in which chocolate milk had been banned. She shares what she has learned about advocacy at www.PEACHSF.org. School districts across the country have already started to ban sugary drinks like sodas from their lunchrooms, and schools from California to Massachusetts are considering banning, or have already banned, chocolate and flavored milk, citing its high sugar content. Pretty soon we will have the children drinking water and eating tofu. carton of plain skim milk has about 14 grams of naturally occurring sugar, while a chocolate milk carton can have as much as 28g sugar (14g naturally occurring, another 14g “added”), or as little as 20-22g (14 naturally occurring, 6-8g “added”), depending on how much sugar the dairy feels customers want. Governor Will Not Ban Chocolate Milk in Schools Schools would only be allowed to serve unflavored milk. Flavored milk’s foes say that such studies are biased. Foes may claim that kids happily drink white milk if that is all that is available, but where are the studies to support that belief? The issue at hand is that school districts don’t […] A recent press release from the International Dairy Foods Association boasts “the average calorie level of flavored milk sold during the 2009-2010 school year was reduced nearly eight percent compared to the 2006-2007 school year.” Eight percent? From 2006 to 2014, calories in the flavored milk served at school decreased by nearly 28 percent to 120 calories per 8 ounces. The LAUSD banned chocolate milk and other sweetened milk from school lunches in April of this year. Some schools offer it for both breakfast and lunch, others only at lunch. More nutrition education can help students learn to make their own responsible food choices, not just at school, but out in the world, where a school wide ban on flavored milk will not protect them. Dina Rose is an expert in children’s nutrition. The obvious goal: To reduce the amount of sugar in kids’ diets. Studies of the role “sweetened beverages” play in obesity have focused on soda, sweetened teas, juice drinks, and sports drinks, not flavored milk. Experts agree that chocolate milk isn’t as bad as many junk foods. By Lauren Tarshis. Well, I guess that at least they wouldn’t notice much of a difference in the taste of the food…. They get all the same nutrients they get in white milk. The anti chocolate milk forces are wrong to lead the public to believe that chocolate milk is identical to soda or candy. We should ban chocolate milk. Really? Is it really necessary for a beverage which already enters the world with 14g sugar in 8 oz., to be tarted up with another 14g sugar just to get a kid to drink it? However, chocolate milk’s fans are wrong to minimize the sugar issue. This approach ensures that all parents' wishes are respected: those who wish to feed their children chocolate milk may do so and those who don't wish their children to have the extra sugar don't face unwanted exposure for their children. Looks like the New York City school system has some beef with chocolate milk. The most common fat-free chocolate milk served in US schools has 120 calories, no fat or saturated fat, and only 18 grams total sugar. Make it an end-of-week ritual. Foes of sweetened milk also link its consumption with increased obesity, but again there have been no studies done to provide support for that view. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently became the largest district in the country to ban chocolate milk. “Chocolate milk has about 10 grams more sugar than regular milk and children should limit their sugar intake to about 25 grams,” nutritionist Reyna Franco told the outlet. The moves follow other schools that have already stopped serving these beverages, fueling the ongoing chocolate milk debate. To recap the battle thus far: flavored milk accounts for about 70% of the milk served in US schools. Whole milk, the bill's supporters say, is a natural next step—and a source of "nine essential nutrients," Thompson said in a statement Wednesday. Taking an inflexible hard line on chocolate milk – pro or con – only serves to divide advocates who need to support each other. Will regular milk be next? Mary Manwarning, a mother in Rocky Hill, Conn., says she believes the ban would be a mistake. The teachers, school administrators, nutritionists, government and parents have united in banning chocolate milk for the greater good. Verdict: Rather than banning chocolate milk, have it once in a while. There are 3 reasons why I think schools should keep chocolate milk. The Washington Post ‘s Petula Dvorak thinks a good step is banning chocolate milk. When advocates who share a common interest in fighting child obesity are at each other’s throats over whether chocolate milk is a tasty way for kids to get important nutrition, or the Drink of Satan, the whole school food reform movement suffers, and that hurts kids. The idea is to promote healthier eating among the city’s 1.1 million students by only serving low-fat or fat-free milk, which have significantly less sodium, carbohydrates and calories compared to chocolate milk. In addition to demanding a much less sweet version of chocolate milk, schools can take other steps to radically reduce the amount of added sugar kids consume in their milk. Schools districts throughout the United States are starting to ban chocolate milk from their lunch rooms. Dairies don’t need to add as much sugar as they do to flavored milk. School districts in San Francisco and … Get rid of something that kids actually like and is good for them too? This is only about 35 more calories than fat-free white milk. New York City’s Department of Education is considering instituting a ban on chocolate milk served in the public schools, according to reports. Required fields are marked *, Get Your Google Android Snowman Collectible, 3 Signs That The Mobile Web Will Dominate The Future. Both sides are right – and both are wrong. In schools, 70 percent of milk kids choose is flavored, low-fat chocolate being the most popular choice. Do the harms outweigh the benefits? First thing the government did was ban whole milk in schools, I lost four pounds that month and I didn’t have four pounds to lose. It is the debate over whether chocolate milk should be banned from school. It has caused a lot of heat surrounding the topic. While chocolate milk’s supporters insist the health benefits of milk outweigh any possible harm from extra sugar, its foes allege that chocolate milk is just like soda or candy. Also I’m a freshman in high-school with cystic fibrosis who is trying to avoid a gastronomy tube. “Chocolate milk has about 10 grams more sugar than regular milk and children should limit their sugar intake to about 25 grams,” nutritionist Reyna Franco said. If your child can’t buy chocolate milk at school as a treat, say, once a week, then let them choose a sweet at home. The New Haven school board in Connecticut voted at the end of November to reverse the district's 2011 ban on chocolate milk. An Arizona district recently banned chocolate milk while a New York school system may enact its own flavored milk ban in hopes of improving student nutrition. The one thing that everyone agrees on is that there is no agreement. Removing flavored milk from school cafeterias in an effort to reduce students’ caloric and sugar intake and reduce childhood obesity has led many school districts to limit or ban chocolate milk. In schools where chocolate milk is banned, most kids don’t drink any milk. Opponents say that sweetened milk has no place in our schools, and that offering it just teaches kids to want sugary beverages. Schools in Washington DC, Florida, California, and Colorado have already done it, while other districts are still debating the issue. Many parents, including many well informed parents who are not in the pay of the dairy industry, feel that their kids will only drink milk if the taste is masked by something sweet. It’s time for a truce in the chocolate milk wars. While chocolate milk’s supporters insist the health benefits of milk outweigh any possible harm from extra sugar, its foes allege that chocolate milk is just like soda or candy. Any product with that many nutrients would be marketed as a “nutrition bar,” not candy. The obvious goal: To reduce the amount of sugar in kids’ diets. Not everyone is on board with a potential ban. And why, after all of these years, is it now an issue. Over three years? San Francisco public schools have also demanded, and gotten, a chocolate milk formulation with less sugar. Schools districts throughout the United States are starting to ban chocolate milk from their lunch rooms. While New York City schools may be looking to ban chocolate milk, other districts around the country are looking for different ways to increase students' daily dairy intake. Additionally, eliminating chocolate milk decreased total milk sales to schools by 10 percent. If only plain milk is offered, they say, children will happily drink it; thus far there have been no studies produced to back up that claim. 3 Reasons Schools Should Ban Chocolate Milk September 20, 2010 With Michelle Obama’s war against childhood obesity, school cafeteria’s across the country are working to make their lunch menus healthier. Should Chocolate Milk Be Banned From Your School? More reasonable is a plan to wean us off sugar by continually reducing the amount added to our food. Meanwhile, the supporters of chocolate milk are right to fear that its removal may lead many children to skip milk at school altogether, because that is what the available evidence has shown to be true. Meanwhile, as school funding shrinks, and costs for food, fuel and labor continue to rise, the chocolate milk battle divides advocates, just when it is most important that they join forces and work together. They could limit the serving of chocolate milk to one meal a day, not two. This seemingly simple question has sparked a lot of controversy in recent years. Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar - USATODAY.com By Christina Hoag, Associated Press May 11, 2011USAToday.com 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.