Elementary school children’s consumption of lower calorie flavored milk, 2010‐2013 (632.1)

Abstract

USDA requires flavored milk (FM) in schools to be fat‐free. Added sugars (AS) were reduced from 15gm/8oz in 2009‐10 to 6gm/8oz in 2012‐13, reducing FM calories from 170 to 110 kcal/8oz. Milk is an important source of shortfall nutrients, thus it is important to know how well children consume reformulated FMs in school. Annual plate waste studies were conducted (April‐June 2010‐2013) in school districts (n=10) in the north and south as elementary schools moved to fat‐free, low added sugars FM. In 2010, children (grades 3‐5, n=497) consumed 5.8+ SE 0.12oz of the original 170 kcal/8oz FM. In subsequent years, as fat and AS were removed, children consumed 5.2+SE 0.12oz (n=388, 1277, 533). The data were highly skewed and converted to a binary variable. Overall, children in northern schools were more likely to consume >7oz FM (p<0.0001) than children in the south. Boys consumed more FM at lunch than girls (p<0.0001). Using linear mixed models adjusting for sex and region differences, the proportion of children consuming >7oz FM was stable over time (p=0.73). However, consumption patterns differed among schools (p=0.001). Changes to FM formulations to meet USDA standards appear to be successful in reducing fat and AS calories in children’s diets at school without impacting overall milk consumption. However, given the wide variations observed among schools, further monitoring of children’s dietary patterns is warranted.Grant Funding Source: USDA Hatch and Dairy Research Institute