Chocolate Milk Under Attack! Should it Be Banned From School Cafeterias?

Update:

After our story aired, we heard from Dr. Dave Pittman, a member of the Spartanburg County Childhood Obesity Task Force. He is currently conducting a pilot intervention in a our local elementary schools to improve healthy choices during lunch.

Pittman said, via email: "Chocolate milk has twice the sugar of white milk and that sugar is artificially added high fructose corn syrup. If a child chooses chocolate milk instead of white milk each day, they would consume over 5 pounds of extra sugar in 1 school year. Over 30% of elementary age children in Spartanburg County are overweight. The extra calories in flavored milk do matter. We are fighting an epidemic of obesity in our local community not deficiencies in calcium, vitamin A, or vitamin D. The argument that children won’t drink milk if it is not flavored is not valid. Given an education about the healthiness of white milk versus flavored milk, children will voluntarily choose white milk over the flavored milk. This is precisely what our study at Jesse Boyd Elementary school is showing. In October, 20% of the students chose white milk and 60% chose chocolate milk. Following a single education session, in November we are measuring 70% of the same students choosing white milk and only 19% choosing chocolate. We have the research and the data to show that children want to make healthier eating choices during school lunches. The critical influencing factors are providing the education of which choices are healthy and recognizing / praising children when they make those healthy choices. I would be most pleased to discuss our work at Jesse Boyd and the importance of reducing childhood obesity in our community with you. Details on our project including our preliminary data can be found here: http://balancedchoices.info "

###
A Christian rock band brought down the house at Beck Academy in Greenville Tuesday afternoon. It was courtesy of Pet Dairy and Milk Rocks, a campaign to promote the benefits of milk as a healthy alternative to sugar based drinks. This week, the creators of Got Milk kicked off a campaign to keep chocolate milk on kids’ minds and school lunch menus; but some educators and obesity experts kids get too much sugar, which is heightening America’s obesity problem; and they say schools shouldn't serve chocolate milk at all.

Byrnes High School student Brittany Reese isn't a big fan milk. "I don't really drink it unless somebody makes me, cuz I think it's nasty, but I like chocolate milk, it tastes a lot better." She’s not alone. On Tuesday cafeteria workers sold four times more chocolate milk than white.

Registered nurse Joy McGaha says the low-fat chocolate milk they serve in Spartanburg District 5 is much healthier than sugary drinks. "All milk has vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin C the calcium. That's the good part about it. That's what we want to get into the children. The difference in the white milk and the chocolate milk... I went and pulled it… is only 40 calories,” McGaha tells News Channel 7. McGaha says kids who would never drink white get the nutrition they need in the low-fat chocolate milk.

News Channel 7 asked Pet Milk representative Roger Staton about the controversy. He says, "The majority of the milk that is sold in schools today is low sugar and low fat milk, so the qualms there if it being high in sugar is not there."

As for that 40 more calories in chocolate verses white? McGaha says, "That’s a low price to pay if they'll drink it." It’s the only way you are going to get Brittany to pick milk. She says, "I won't ever drink regular milk.”

###

News Channel 7 asked school districts in the Upstate and Western North Carolina about the milk they serve in schools and whether they are opposed to chocolate. Here are their email responses:

Greenville County School District: 1% white and skim, 2% low fat chocolate

Spartanburg District 1: “This is the official statement published by the Chartwells concerning chocolate milk. This is the link; http://www.cgnad.com/default.asp?action=article&ID=724

Spartanburg District 4: “Spartanburg County School District 4 serves Chocolate Skim (which is 0% butterfat) and 1% Chocolate Milk (which is 1% butterfat). We do offer a selection of white milk also in skim (which is 0% butterfat), 1% butterfat. Also we offer strawberry and vanilla milk which are 1% butterfat. We are not opposed to serving chocolate milk because we look at the total menu when evaluating our students nutritional needs.”

Spartanburg District 5: see video story

Spartanburg School District 7: “District Seven serves white and flavored milk the choice of which is offered daily. All milk is 1% or fat free. Chartwell’s prides itself on offering “ Better-For-You” beverages, including low fat milk, 100 percent juice, bottled water, and flavored water without any added sugar. Beverages must meet these parameters:
• 100 percent fruit and vegetable juice limited to 12 oz portion
• Fat free and 1 percent milk products, 8-16 oz portion size
• Beverages must be caffeine free except flavored milk”

Laurens School District 55: “Laurens 55 does offer chocolate skim milk.”

Cherokee County School District: “We do serve chocolate milk in all schools. It is whole milk. We also serve white milk whole and low fat. We are not opposed to chocolate milk.”

Asheville City School District: “Yes, we serve chocolate milk and it is 1% milk. I am attaching the nutritional information for both the 1`% white milk and the 1% chocolate milk. I also agree that providing chocolate milk encourages more children to drink milk. Because we are offer vs. serve schools, the students do not have to choose to get milk. By offering chocolate milk more students choose to get the milk. That means they are getting the needed calcium and vitamin A that milk provides.”

Henderson County School District: “Yes, we serve both (chocolate and white milk). Both are 1%. Skim white milk is also offered.”

Union County School District: “We do currently and, to my knowledge, intend to continue to serve both. The regular milk is low fat. The chocolate milk is skim.”