Pain Au Chocolat

2023-2024 Regional Case Set

Jul 16

Written By NHSEB

A suggested new policy from the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes to phase out flavored milks from school lunches as part of a new strategy to combat childhood obesity. In May, USDA opened the proposal which seeks to rethink school nutrition guidelines around added sugars for public commentary. According to the proposal from USDA, "this approach would reduce exposure to added sugars and would promote the more nutrient-dense choice of unflavored milk for young children when their tastes are being formed." The policy option under consideration specifically targets perennial student favorites—chocolate and strawberry milks—which would be limited in high school settings, and removed from elementary and middle school cafeterias. USDA contends that these milks often contain as much added sugars as soda. "Fat-free and low-fat milk contain essential nutrients that kids need to grow and thrive, while staying within the calorie and saturated fat limits recommended by the Dietary Guidelines. The proposed rule continues to encourage consumption of fat- free or low-fat milk, while allowing some flavored milk to be offered in school meals," reads a statement from USDA. This proposal is not without attendant controversy. The Department has to date received nearly 100,000 comments from many sides of a growing debate.

Proponents of the policy applaud USDA’s effort to strengthen school nutrition standards, citing a worrying upward trend in cases of childhood obesity and related physical, social, and emotional complications in the United States. Some teachers praised the move, and others have focused on its benefits to the health of the nation’s children. Erica Kenney, a nutrition professor at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health told The Wall Street Journal: "From a public-health perspective, it makes a lot of sense to try to limit the servings of these flavored milks because they do have quite a lot of added sugar."

Critics slammed the proposal, worrying that it would cause children to refrain from drinking milk altogether, making the conversation about nutritional benefits moot. They argue that even flavored milk has important benefits: "Calcium, Vitamin D, and potassium," New England Dairy Director of Youth Wellness Erin Wholey told CBS News. "Those are three ingredients that we know kids aren't getting enough of and the reality is, kids love flavored milk." Some parents argue that their child’s dietary choices should be a private matter, left up to families rather than schools. Other critics, like

Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA), the Chair of the House’s Committee on Agriculture rendered the new proposal from USDA as a kind of government overreach. Thompson told Fox News: "I’m proud to stand with America’s dairy farmers against intrusion into our school cafeterias. Chocolate milk is a calcium-rich childhood favorite, and it is here to stay!"

For its part, the dairy industry has responded with a significant willingness to comply. A group of 37 milk processors accounting for 90% of the milk at US schools announced that they would commit to offering flavored milk that adheres to the USDA's limits on added sugar in the dairy product. USDA’s comment period on the policy proposal has closed, and the Department plans to announce any rule changes to take effect in time to plan for the 2024-2025 school year.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Who, if anyone, should be responsible for constraining and regulating children’s dietary choices?
Do public schools have a responsibility to ensure the nutritional health of their students? Why or why not?
To what extent if any should the desires of the children themselves be taken into account when it comes to regulating their dietary intake?