Seven years ago, nearly no secondary schools in the U.S. offered milk vending. By the 2006-2007 school year, 20.5 percent of the schools are offering milk in vending machines.
School vending machines are stocked with fewer high-calorie soft drinks today because some states have banned the sale of sodas on campus and the beverage industry is phasing in healthier drinks, according to an industry report.
The findings being released Monday are in the industry’s first report card since agreeing in May 2006 to pull nondiet soft drinks from the vast majority of public and private schools over the next three years.
Nondiet soda accounted for 32 percent of the drinks for sale at schools during the 2006-07 school year. In 2004 it was 47 percent. Also, the beverages shipped to schools last year contained about two-fifths total fewer calories than what they did in 2004, the report said.
Health officials long have expressed concern that schools contributed to rising obesity rates because campus vending machines sold high-calorie and high-sugar snacks and drinks.
Wootan said about 22 states limit the sale of sugary drinks in some grades. For example, Kentucky’s school vending machines are filled with bottled water and dried fruit instead of soda and snack cakes. About a dozen states ban the sale of full-calorie soft drinks in high schools.
Most elementary schools are already soda-free. But under the voluntary guidelines, beverage companies agreed to sell only water, unsweetened juice and low-fat and nonfat milk to elementary and middle schools. Diet sodas and sports drinks will remain in high schools. The biggest declines were in sugary fruit drinks, 56.2 percent, and full-calorie soft drinks, 45.1 percent. Meanwhile, there was a 22.8 percent increase in the volume of bottled water in school vending machines.
3 Comments on “Milk Vending in Schools Up”
Its great how vending machines are starting to be used for good, and making sure that kids get their healthy food at school.
Its great how vending machines are starting to be used for good, and making sure that kids get their healthy food at school.
Its great how vending machines are starting to be used for good, and making sure that kids get their healthy food at school.