About half of elementary school children in the USA could buy high-fat milk, sodas, sports drinks and fruit drinks in school à la carte lines, snack bars, vending machines and stores during 2008-2009, a new study shows.
At some schools, high-fat milk is no longer being offered in the regular lunch line but is available in the à la carte line, says the study's lead author, Lindsey Turner of the University of Illinois-Chicago. Whole milk has 60 more calories than non-fat milk in a typical school-size carton, she says.
In recent years there has been a push by public-health advocates and nutritionists to encourage schools to serve healthful beverages. A report from the Institute of Medicine recommended that only water, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, non-fat or 1% milk should be offered in à la carte lines, stores and vending machines at school.
Turner and colleagues conducted a national survey of hundreds of elementary schools over three years. Among findings reported online today in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine: Only 16% of elementary students in public schools in 2008-2009 could purchase just the beverages recommended by the institute.
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