Chocolate milk stirs controversy in schools

The Washington Post ^ | April 11, 2011 | Kevin Sieff

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

It was once a staple of public school cafeterias that blended the indulgent and the nutritious, satisfying parents and children both. But chocolate milk is uncontroversial no more. Dozens of districts have demanded reformulations. Others have banned it outright.

At the center of these battles are complex public health calculations: Is it better to remove sugary chocolate flavorings at the risk that many students will skip milk altogether, missing out on crucial calcium and Vitamin D? Or should schools instead make tweaks — less fat, different sweeteners, fewer calories — that might salvage the benefits while while minimizing the downside?

However schools answer these questions, protest inevitably follows. When Fairfax County and D.C. schools banned chocolate milk last year from elementary lunch lines, officials heard not just from parents and students. They also received letters and petitions from a slew of nutritionists and influential special interest groups.

Most accused the districts of acting rashly, robbing students of a tasty drink and the vitamins and minerals that fuel bone and muscle growth.

“We got 10 to 20 e-mails a day,” said Penny McConnell, director of food and nutrition services for Fairfax. “It was a lot of pressure.”

This month — and partly because of that pressure — Fairfax officials announced that they would reintroduce chocolate milk in school cafeterias. The newer, low-fat version includes sucrose, which is made from sugar cane or beets, instead of high-fructose corn syrup, which some critics say is more heavily processed and, as a result, less healthy.

Such reformulations have satisfied some of chocolate milk’s critics. But most scientists and nutritionists, including those employed by local school districts, say that changing sweeteners makes little dietary difference if the total calorie content stays the same.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My ‘stockpile’ list continues to grow as everyday items will soon be VERBOTEN in what was once America:

Ammo (always!)
Gold & Silver
Cigarettes (for bartering)
Toilet Paper
Garden Seeds
Coffee
Sugar
Salt
Light bulbs
Yeast
Fish Oil
Lard
Toys for my future Grandkids
Ketchup
Plastic bags
Paper bags
Chocolate Milk

[11johara28]

And we wonder why kids hate school.

I went to a Catholic Elementary School. Monday thru Thursday we had white milk but on Friday we had chocolate milk. We couldn’t wait for Friday to get here.

Also, on Friday, the milk company delivered about 20 extra pints. All of the Nuns,(Good Sisters of Mercy)would grab one of them and drink it while they watched over us at recess.

[massmike]

Notice how it is only Democrats that tell us what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, what to drive.

But....but....but......democrats are for the "little guy"!

[paulycy]

But....but....but......democrats are for the "little guy"!

That's because the think they are so small they can push them around.

[elkfersupper]

Someone will have to show me where Republicans do these sort of things.

So-called Republicans routinely vote for or authorize smoking bans and food-Nazi measures.

You need look no further than Mike Huckabee.

Regards,

[elkfersupper]

I like the way you think.

[La Lydia]

Two tablespoons of half and half, which I allow myself each day in my coffee, total only 40 calories. And I can attest to its life-affirming benefits. Everything in moderation.