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US dairy leader calls for consistent nutrition standards in schools
The CEO of the family-owned Anderson Erickson Dairy Company based in Iowa, US, spoke for the dairy industry regarding the importance of milk and dairy products in all school nutrition programmes when she appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Miriam Erickson Brown testified at a hearing entitled ‘Beyond Federal School Meal Programmes: Reforming Nutrition for Kids in Schools’. Representing the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation, Erickson Brown stressed the need to keep nutrient-rich dairy foods in schools, and outlined the role that consumption of low-fat and fat-free milk and other milk products plays in the strategy to lower childhood obesity rates.
She urged the US Congress to set consistent nutrition standards, based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, for all foods and beverages available in schools.
“I ask the committee to be sure to balance nutrition standards with what kids will eat,” said Erickson Brown. “We encourage you to set school-wide nutrition standards that include milk, yogurt and various types of cheese as valuable and important components of a child’s healthy diet in schools.”
While favouring one set of standards for all foods and beverages available in schools, including those sold through à la carte menus, vending machines and school stores, she cautioned the committee against guidelines that are overly restrictive.
“Nutrition standards applied to individual foods may put nutrient-rich foods, such as yogurt cups and cheese sticks, out of the reach of our children,” said Erickson Brown. “The dairy industry has invested in extensive research and development of new ingredients and products that minimise added sugars and allow for a variety of fat levels.”
In addition to serving on the IDFA’s board of directors, Erickson Brown serves as chair of the Health and Wellness Committee of the new Innovation Centre for US Dairy.
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