Our entire district was part of the St. Louis School Milk Test. The test included new and enhanced flavors of milk, in new kid-oriented cartons. We received “got milk?” marketing kits that included posters, banners and flyers that were displayed throughout the schools, not just the cafeterias. This created a buzz about the program. We had sampling days that were very successful for introducing the new flavors.
We needed to do this program to help increase milk consumption, and get students away from drinking less nutritious beverages. Milk is essential to building bones, muscle contraction and healthy teeth. Strong bodies are important for various reasons, such as sports, academics and behavior. While white fluid milk is perfect, the same nutrients are in flavored milk, and we have found that it is ultimately accepted and consumed at a higher amount by students.
Plus, we instituted a verification process to ensure the refrigeration levels were kept at 36 degrees or below. Serving the milk really cold has made a big difference too.
The only small challenge we had was managing the increased consumption levels and streamlining our ordering process. But those were good problems to handle.
Milk sales increased in 98% of our schools. Milk consumption increased from 6% to 56% in the district. The changes had the greatest impact on our meal line and a la carte sales.
The test was conducted from 2004 to 2005. We've continued with the changes that were made, and have seen a sustained increase in milk consumption. The district has continued to offer a full variety of flavors (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla) and we’ve continued to experience an increase in milk drinkers!
