Want Kids to Drink More Milk? The Dairy Industry Donates Coffee Bars to School Cafeterias

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Jul 11, 2019
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Orange Count via the AP

If it seems like you’re noticing new non-dairy milk options every trip to the grocery store, then you’re not alone. Food trends have taken a turn toward alternatives like almond, soy, cashew and oat milks in recent years and the dairy industry is scrambling to keep up. One way in which the dairy industry is hoping they will stay ahead of the game is by introducing milk-heavy drinks like lattes to high school students.

The Associated Press reports about dairy groups that are now funding coffee bars for schools that offer teens more ways to add dairy milk into their diet. Drinks like iced lattes, smoothies and hot chocolate are some of the new menu items available to students in schools that have seen a sharp decline in milk consumption. Overall, we have seen a decline of roughly 40% of milk drinkers since 1975.

The dairy industry’s new slogan, “Undeniably Dairy”, which replaces the “Got Milk?” ads, was become a way to remind people that dairy milk is still an option and can’t replace the other types of milk now on the market. The industry also hopes that giving high schoolers high-end coffee options will encourage them to add milk to their diets.

A dairy group in Florida has donated coffee carts to 21 high schools, offering students $3 lattes to go with their lunches. And many schools see this as a way to keep kids in school when they might normally go off grounds to find coffee anyway. Several schools in the Southwest received coffee program grants from the dairy industry. And since coffee programs in schools still have to follow the school’s nutrition guidelines, the drinks are often healthier than what teens may purchase at local coffee shops..

What do you think of schools adding coffee bars to their cafeterias?

Do you think offering lattes to teens is a good way to encourage dairy consumption?

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tailormade by tailormade | Vero Beach, FL
Jul 17, 2019

I know when I was in school, coffee probably would have helped me tremendously as I was "slow moving" in the mornings. Although I don't think that offering coffee will make the milk consumption much better necessarily.. I mean think of all the other stuff that goes into it.. ? However, I don't think a coffee bar is a bad idea in high schools in general as a fellow coffee lover.