Guest Editorial
Kids deserve nutritious AND delicious

Connie Tipton

Connie Tipton is president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association. She contributes this column exclusively for Cheese Market News®.

With the presidential campaign season in full swing, the nation’s capital has become a ghost town. But, before you know it, Congress will be back, a new administration will be getting settled and we’ll be smack in the middle of the Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.

The Child Nutrition Act governs the operation of all the important federal nutrition programs operated by USDA, including the school breakfast and lunch programs, after-school feeding programs, child and adult daycare facilities programs, and the supplemental feeding program for women, infants, and children (WIC). In fact, the sale of fluid milk through federal school programs alone accounts for almost 6 percent of all milk sold in the United States.

Next year, the Child Nutrition Act must be reauthorized by Congress, which means there is a lot at stake for the entire dairy industry. During the Farm Bill debate last year, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), introduced a proposal that would have mandated lowfat or fat-free milk with no more than 170 calories per eight fluid ounces, required reduced-fat or part-skim cheese and assured that other dairy products met certain requirements for calories, fat, saturated fat, sugars, sodium, vitamins and minerals. Although the proposal didn’t pass, we can expect Sen. Harkin and other members of Congress to advocate for stricter nutrition standards again during the reauthorization process.

As an industry, we have a great story to tell. Milk and dairy products provide nine essential nutrients, including three of the five nutrients identified as “nutrients of concern” for children in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; they are calcium, magnesium and potassium. The government’s own statistics show that almost 90 percent of girls and about 70 percent of boys don’t meet their recommended intake of calcium. For many school-aged children, their only source of milk is the school lunch program, yet only about half are drinking a cup of milk a day. Dollar for dollar, milk and dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, provide a wide variety of nutrients for the investment.

But not everyone agrees with us, which became very clear during USDA’s child nutrition listening sessions this summer. The food police were out in full force, advocating the benefits of an all veggie diet. They conveniently ignored the fact that every parent knows: if food doesn’t taste good to children and young adults, they simply won’t eat it.

Give students the choice between steamed broccoli and broccoli with cheese and guess which one they pick? Kids don’t think about the nine essential nutrients that cheese adds to their vegetable; they only know that it tastes good. Thanks to dairy products, school lunches can be nutritious and delicious.

Milk and dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, provide a wide range of nutrients in just one food. Lowfat yogurt with fruit is a healthy, tasty and cost-effective alternative to chips. Even ice cream offers more nutritional value than a candy bar or cookie.

Just as we are facing growing competition in the grocery cart, the rising cost of milk and the availability of cheaper options are creating competition in the school lunch program. Changes to the nutrition guidelines adopted through the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act need to take into account a food’s total nutrient package and role in a healthful diet. The industry must actively engage in the discussion if dairy is to maintain its important and prominent position in the school lunch program.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.

Two remaining USDA listening sessions on federal child nutrition programs are scheduled for Chicago and Denver in September. The Chicago session will be held Sept. 10 at the FNS Midwest Regional Office, Conference Center, 77 West Jackson Blvd. 20th Floor, Chicago. For more information, call 312-353-6664.

The Denver session will be held Sept. 11 at The Colorado History Museum, 1300 Broadway, Denver. For more information, call 303-844-0300.

USDA also is accepting written testimony until the comment period ends on Oct. 15. Visit http://www.regulations.gov to submit comments.