Not long ago, milk was a standard part of Americans' mornings. Now, the calcium-filled fluid would be lucky to find itself on anyone's mind.
Americans, on average, drink 37 percent less milk today than they did in 1970, according to data from the USDA. Forty years ago, per capita consumption was nearly one and a half cups per day; now it's nearer to 0.8. While the fallout spans every type of cow's milk—whole, low fat, and skim—it's been most unkind to the full fat variety. Whole milk per capita consumption has tumbled by 78 percent since 1970 (from more than 1.1 cups per day to fewer than .24).
What's causing the plummet? Replacement, mostly. Americans are still drinking the same amount in beverages as they did back in the 1970s, only they're now spreading that fluid intake across a much larger pool of beverage options. "We essentially went from milk, carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), coffee, and juice in the 1970s to a myriad of alternatives available today," a report (pdf) published last year by CoBank notes. The "we" in that construction might as well be replaced for "youth," because it's America's young that are letting all that milk sour. The most pronounced declines from the late 1970s to the mid 2000s are in the 2-11 year old, and 12-19 year old demographics.
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