Featuring new products and packaging is necessary because:

• Single-serve packages and flavored milk have been the industry's most important growth segments and have the greatest potential; only about 13% of milk sales are for single-serve products, whereas in the soft drink, sports drink and other immediate consumption beverage categories, single-serve packages account for 30% or more of total volume.
• Attractive packaging can attract impulse purchases.
• Making new products and resealable packaging more available to consumers means more will choose milk, leading to incremental sales.

ESL/Aseptic Products
While availability is limited, extended shelf-life (ESL) milk products are gaining popularity in the U.S. and can enhance immediate consumption opportunities.

Extended shelf-life products, also known as aseptic milk, are processed by ultra high treatment pasteurization (UHT), which quickly heats milk to 280° F for two seconds and then rapidly cools it. The UHT milk is then packaged in special, sterile containers that do not require refrigeration until after they are opened and have a shelf-life of up to one year. Aseptic milk is as natural and nutritious as milk pasteurized using other methods.

For vending machine operators, there are a number of advantages offered by ESL/aseptic products:

• It offers more options in the milk products that can be sold in vending machines.
• It can be inventoried.
  • Research shows that 90% of kids prefer flavored milk to white milk; aseptic milk allows schools to purchase flavored milk in bulk without tying up refrigerated storage space.
• Enables use of traditional soft drink machines for milk products.
• Reduced spoilage and out-of-stocks.
• Greater availability and selection of branded, value-added, single serve products.
• Hershey's and NesQuick milk products — two of the largest national flavored milk brands — are largely ESL products.

Talk with your milk processor about availability and whether ESL/aseptic products are a good fit for your vending operation.