Eliminating Chocolate Milk at School Lunch - Need Help

[TripMom]

All -

We have been working for 3 long years on our school's "Wellness Committee" to fix the horrendously awful school lunch being served to our kids on a daily basis -- almost entirely processed reheated foods with an ingredient list a mile long.

We have seen a very recent shift in attitude with the administration - and for some reason the principal unilaterally and without warning decided to remove chocolate milk from the lunch room. This has caused major backlash apparently and the principal is now looking to the Wellness Committee to back her up with some info, studies, data, etc. to support her decision.

While removing chocolate milk may not have been the first thing I would have done - I do like the direction this is moving and want to support her.

Please can you provide me with any info, articles, references - anything that could help us? Thanks you so much in advance!

[lelesmama]

Chocolate Milk - More sugar than soda!

I recently started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. He is trying to change the public school food system in Huntington, WV (the unhealthiest city in the US according to statistics). He revealed to the parents that chocolate milk has more sugar per serving than soda! I couldn't believe it when I heard it but I guess there are nutritional labels you could show to the parents? That stuff matters to me but I don't know if all parents care about that.

[junipermuse]

well I just looked up nutrition info for chocolate milk, plain lowfat milk, and cola and it doesn't seem to be true that chocolate milk has more sugar than cola. oz for oz it has slightly less sugar, but even saying they are close to equal is a bit unfair, since much of the sugar is the natural lactose in the milk that would be in the plain milk as well. There is definitely a school of thought as well, that drinking chocolate milk is better than drinking no milk. Not that I agree, but I have read this line of reasoning in parenting magazines and it makes sense that if parents believe this than they would be upset that chocolate milk has been eliminated. Also unlike other flavored milks that are filled with artificial colors and flavors, chocolate milk is often just milk with sweetened chocolate. I think making it the first item to eliminate was rash on the principals part because its a move likely to lose parent support rather than gain it for other more important changes.

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by lelesmama

I recently started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. He is trying to change the public school food system in Huntington, WV (the unhealthiest city in the US according to statistics). He revealed to the parents that chocolate milk has more sugar per serving than soda! I couldn't believe it when I heard it but I guess there are nutritional labels you could show to the parents? That stuff matters to me but I don't know if all parents care about that.

I was going to mention this too! If you look on TED.com, you can find his 5 or so minute speech that he gave when he won a TED Award, and in that he talks about the amount of sugar kids get from milk (although, he was saying that they put sugar in regular milk, too, not just chocolate milk, to get kids to drink more), and he ends up dumping out a whole wheelbarrow load of sugar to show what our kids are eating each year from their school milk! Maybe if you research his work you can find where he got those stats.

Good luck, and kudos to you for taking this on!!!!

[Alyantavid]

I'm not surprised there was a backlash. I really have no issue with chocolate milk. I think school lunch should offer it honestly. Some kids don't get the opportunity to eat as well as they should and while school lunches aren't perfect, it is better than what some kids get at home.

I guess I'd rather see a kid drink chocolate milk than no milk at all, especially if he doesn't get a good diet at home. My kid eats at school some days and he does choose the chocolate milk. And I don't care. If that was all he ever drank, it would be one thing.

[manchestermafia]

Most chocolate milks contain high fructose corn syrup. Take away the strawberry milk too!