New Look of School Milk Supports School Wellness Goal for Healthy Eating
Brent Craig

This month's expert, Brent Craig, shares how changing the way milk is served with the New Look of School Milk gets more kids to drink milk and eat nutritious food for lunch. A recent recipient of National Dairy Council®'s Leadership in Nutrition Award, Craig is district nutrition services director for St. Vrain Valley School District near Denver, Colorado.

Interview Questions

• What is the New Look of School Milk?
• Why did you decide to make it part of your program?
• How have kids reacted to the New Look of School Milk?
• How does the New Look of School Milk support school wellness?
• Why should parents and teachers care about and want the New Look of School Milk in their school?
• If more kids are choosing school lunch, they must also be taking more fruit and vegetables, too?
• How have teachers and parents reacted to the program?
• What comments have you had from parents about serving flavored milk?
• What advice do you have for parents who are interested in getting the New Look of School Milk in their kids' schools?

What is the New Look of School Milk?
It's serving milk in cool, kid-appealing, plastic bottles in a variety of different flavors. And, it's serving it cold and merchandising it in coolers with colorful graphics. We use glass-front coolers with cow graphics. In fact, teachers have complimented us on the "look."

Why did you decide to make it part of your program?
Cartons were hard for kids to open and they complained about the milk's taste. Also, we were concerned about childhood obesity and decided to implement our school wellness policy in 2005 instead of waiting for the July, 2006 deadline. This required some significant menu changes and eliminating many a la carte, snack-type items popular with the kids. The New Look of School Milk struck me as the kind of "makeover" that would be exciting and would entice kids to participate in our nutritionally balanced lunch program, which we want them to do.

How have kids reacted to the New Look of School Milk?
Students have reacted with great enthusiasm to the New Look of School Milk and other elements of our nutrition program's Extreme Menu Makeover. Comments, like "This is so cool," are common among elementary students, and the big milk sales increase we've experienced speaks very loudly. Our sales are up 45 percent since we started the New Look of School Milk. I'm a firm believer that kids eat with their eyes. With the New Look of School Milk, they can see the milk, and they think it is colder and more refreshing.

How does the New Look of School Milk support school wellness?
I would say the New Look of School Milk is what got our kids excited about the big changes resulting from our wellness policy. What's really thrilling is that a la carte sales have decreased, which we predicted, and the number of kids taking nutritious school lunches skyrocketed, significantly increasing our breakfast and lunch participation.

Editor's Note: Kids who choose milk with lunch are more likely to meet their calcium needs, and children who eat school lunch have higher nutrient intakes — both at lunch and over the course of the entire day.

Why should parents and teachers care about and want the New Look of School Milk in their school?
Because kids are more likely to take milk with their lunch and eat a healthy lunch! There is a huge calcium deficiency in this country and milk provides it, along with protein, vitamin D and other important nutrients they need for growth. Two years ago at St. Vrain, we served about 7,700 kids and 6,500 cartons of milk a day. About 1,200 kids weren't taking milk or were bringing a soda pop or other drink from home. Jet forward to the New Look - now we serve 12, 500 kids and only about 450 don't take milk. With the exception of a few, kids are suddenly taking milk. And more kids are choosing school lunch. We have less plate waste, especially less wasted milk.

Editor's note: Research shows that when children drink milk with their lunch, they are more likely to meet their daily calcium and other nutrient needs.

If more kids are choosing school lunch, they must also be taking more fruits and vegetables, too?
We've almost doubled our fresh fruit and vegetable purchases over the past two years. It's on the menu more often and we find the kids are more accepting of vegetables, like fresh broccoli or cauliflower, especially if there is a low-fat dressing or yogurt dip.

How have teachers and parents reacted to the program?
The teachers like the changes. There have been a lot of compliments and fewer complaints based on the new menus overall. The New Look of School Milk has been a huge part of this.

What comments have you had from parents about serving flavored milk?
We've had very few. With our Extreme Menu Makeover and the New Look of School Milk, our parents have gotten the message that our offerings are nutritious and about the importance of drinking milk. I let parents know that when kids drink flavored milk, they're still getting the protein, the energy, the vitamins and the minerals that they need and get from white milk. As an alternative, if they drink soda, they get sugar with no nutrition.

Editor's note: Flavored milk's contribution to the added sugar in 6- to 17-year-olds' diets is minimal at just 2.2 percent. And children who drink flavored milk drink more milk and fewer soft and fruit drinks.

What advice do you have for parents who are interested in getting the New Look of School Milk in their kids' schools?
Get involved. Learn about your school's wellness policy and the foods being served in the school. Share your opinions about the importance of offering healthier foods and beverages, like the New Look of School Milk. We had a volunteer who was concerned that kids couldn't open cartons and didn't like the taste of milk in cartons. She became active on the school board and was a primary mover and supporter when we decided on our Extreme Menu Makeover for school wellness, and when we decided to adopt the New Look of School Milk.

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