Unpublished data from USDA’s third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment shows that most schools voluntarily follow the recommendation that was also outlined in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to encourage more consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy. The current DGA recommends three servings of dairy every day for most Americans.
“These findings suggest that schools are voluntarily encouraging low-fat and fat-free white and flavoured milk, and students are enjoying these nutritious offerings more than ever before,” said School Nutrition Association president, Katie Wilson, as she announced the report along with the National Dairy Council.
“We’re continuing to work closely with schools to encourage that they offer a variety of nutrient-rich milk, cheese and yogurt products that meet the National School Lunch Programme nutritional criteria, and taste great so that students will consume them.”
“Milk, cheese and yogurt are especially important for children to grow up strong and healthy,” added National Dairy Council executive vice president, Jean Ragalie. “Many children today are overweight, yet undernourished and miss out on key nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D. It’s important that kids are encouraged to drink milk with meals, at home and at school, to get the nutrients they need.”
Many schools across the country struggle with tighter budgets, yet nutrient-rich foods such as milk are a good nutritional value because they pack in many essential nutrients at a low cost-per-serving.
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