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Dairy processors commit to healthy school milk

Dairy processors representing more than 90 percent of school milk in the U.S. are committing to providing less sugar to students.

Matt Herrick with the International Dairy Foods Association tells Brownfield the Healthy School Milk Commitment goes further than current nutritional guidelines.

“This commitment that we’re making today really in some ways makes the USDA’s proposal around flavored milk kind of a nonissue, we’re already ahead of the USDA’s proposed standard on added sugar,” he says.

The 37 processors have agreed to provide school milk options with no more than 10 grams of added sugar in each serving.

“In the last decade in particular, they have lowered the amount of added sugar in those flavored milk products served at school from 16.7 grams per eight-ounce serving to today it’s an average of 8.2 added grams,” he explains.

Herrick says flavored milk is the most consumed beverage in public schools and processors want to provide students with healthy, nutritious options.

The announcement was made at an elementary school outside of Detroit along with USDA and school officials, farm groups, and the School Nutrition Association.