LA Unified School District Bans Flavored Milk

LOS ANGELESIn an effort to reduce childhood obesity, the Los Angeles Unified School Districts school board voted 5-2 to approve a 5-year, $100-million dairy contract that excludes chocolate and strawberry flavored milk. All milk served in the LAUSD will be required to be low fat or nonfat.

LAUSD is the nation's second-largest school district and it serves up more than 650,000 meals a day to kids. Other school districts that have removed flavored milk from its cafeteria offerings include Washington, D.C., Boulder Valley, Colo., Berkeley, Calif., and Minneapolis.

Encouraging healthy choices will lead to healthier students," Superintendent John Deasy said. Eliminating chocolate milk and strawberry milk is good for all youngsters, and is especially beneficial during an era of rampant childhood obesity."

In May, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) sent a letter to LAUSD highlighting the benefits of including flavored milk as an option in L.A. school lunch rooms. Dairy processors have invested millions of dollars to reformulate flavored milks so that now the average calorie level of flavored milk sold during the 2009-2010 school year was reduced nearly 8 percent compared to the 2006-2007 school year. In fact, the flavored milk currently served in your school district contains one of the lowest calorie counts in the nation," the letter said.

As reported by Dairy Herd Network, Dairy Management Inc., the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation expressed disappointment with the decision: It is unfortunate that the Los Angeles Unified School District has removed nutrient-rich flavored milk from its menu. The districts decision conflicts with the nations leading health and nutrition organizations, who agree that a small amount of added sugar can be used to increase the palatability of nutrient-dense foods such as low-fat and fat-free chocolate milk.

The school board also approved a 5-year, $50 million contract requested by the LAUSD Foodservices Division to increase vegetarian breakfast and lunch options and phase out fried foods. The new menu items will be offered to students at the start of the 2011-12 traditional school calendar. The new vegetarian entrées will include items such as spinach and cheese tortellini in a butternut squash sauce; vegetable ratatouille over whole-grain penne; and a jambalaya with red beans, zucchini, onions and peppers in a Creole sauce served over rice.