Key Facts

• The federally assisted National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is operated in 99,000 schools and serves nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to 28 million children each school day.
• Schools must meet federal nutrition requirements to receive subsidies; the 2004 Child Nutrition Act encourages NSLP schools to serve milk in a variety of flavors and fat contents.
• In the past, kids chose other beverages over milk for numerous reasons:
  • A lack of milk variety
  • Milk seen as a "blah," inferior or "uncool" choice
  • Less interesting packaging and smaller portions than other beverages
  • Milk was not seen as a "treat" like other beverages
  • Kids feel like they "have to" take milk in the meal line

Today's childhood obesity crisis presents schools with an opportunity to reintroduce kids to milk in a better, more desirable way. To achieve success, schools can take a page out of the retail/quick service restaurant playbook and offer students:

• New flavors on a rotating basis
• Higher quality products
• Improved packaging
• Larger single-serve sizes like 12- and 16-oz packages — bigger sizes equal more consumption
• Attractive merchandising

These changes can make a world of difference for schools. A new meal line milk program can increase sales, grow average daily participation (ADP) levels and fulfill mandatory nutrition requirements. Even if rolling out an entirely new milk program isn't feasible, making even small changes in your current program to promote milk as a fun, healthy choice ultimately benefits kids and can have a positive impact on your school.