Why is a program like the New Look of School Milk important?
Currently, more than half of children ages 2-8 and three quarters of children ages 9-19 do not get the recommended daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products.1 And nearly nine out of 10 teenage girls and seven out of 10 teenage boys do not meet the recommended daily intake of calcium.2 With children spending a significant portion of their time at school, and consuming at least one to two meals there, it is an ideal setting for creating and practicing healthy habits and encouraging increased milk consumption, which the New Look of School Milk accomplishes. Encouraging milk drinking with school-aged children is particularly desirable because adequate calcium intake is especially important during years of peak bone formation.3 Milk provides more calcium and protein per 100 calories than any other food served on school lunch menus.
