(photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com)
By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
How many of you were told growing up that white milk comes from white cows, while chocolate milk comes from brown cows? People tried telling me that as a kid, but being a kid who grew up in a family that raised cattle, I knew it was definitely a lie. All milk is white, regardless of the color of the cow. The only thing that makes different colors and flavors of milk are artificial colors and flavors and a whole lot of sugar.
Flavored milks are super popular with kids, which is one of the reasons that they have been included in school lunches for so long. After an analysis found that flavored milk products were the largest contributing factor to sugar in school lunches, the USDA is working to reduce the amount of sugar in milk products distributed in schools by 2025.
This is to be accomplished either by milk product producers altering products to meet the limited sugar requirements, or schools choosing to serve only unflavored milk products. The former option is most likely, as according to the USDA’s release, 90% of milk producers have already committed to changing their products to meet the new guidelines. However, it is up to the school districts to decide whether they will continue serving the lower-sugar chocolate and strawberry milk or not.
Regardless, milk is still a highly nutritious element of a child’s diet, so it’s important to make sure that they are still consuming an adequate amount of dairy products each day. We’ve been writing lots about dairy this month since it’s National Dairy Month. Check out some of our previous dairy articles and keep an eye out for those to come! And remember, all milk is white regardless of the cow’s color!