Massachusetts' Schools Are Giving Chocolate Milk the Boot.

Chocolate milk has been like a controversial celebrity in the news over the past several months.  The superstar of the cafeteria has been demonized and praised in the media. School nutrition experts can’t even agree on whether removing this sweet treat from schools is a necessity.  Questions have emerged on both sides of the debate. Will the children drink white milk? Does the added sugar and excess fat lead to childhood obesity? Will children be getting enough calcium, a nutrient that many school-aged youths are deficient in?

According to CDC data, 31.7% of children in the United States ages 2-19 years old are overweight. Overweight and obesity in children can have harmful short and long-term health effects and an endless list of contributing causes. The typical 8-ounce chocolate milk contains 160 calories, 15 grams of added sugar (about 3½ teaspoons) and 1½ grams of fat. If a child drinks chocolate milk instead of 1% low-fat milk with lunch they could be consuming an extra 50 calories per day, 250 calories per week and an extra 1,000 calories per month. Based on a 180-day school year a child could consume an extra 9,000 calories per year, which in theory translates to a possible weight gain of 2 ½ pounds.

Time Measurement	Add’l kcals from Chocolate Milk with Breakfast vs 1% White	Add’l kcals from Chocolate Milk with Lunch vs 1% White	Breakfast and Lunch Add’l kcals from Chocolate Milk vs 1% White
Day	50	50	100
Week	250	250	500
Month	1,000	1,000	2000
Year (based on 180 school days)	9,000 (or 2.5 lbs)	9,000 (or 2.5 lbs)	18,000 (or 5.14 lbs)

           

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2010 Dietary Guidelines and the Institute of Medicine emphasize limiting the amount of added sugar because it can contribute to excess calories. “Saying we need to add sugar and flavoring milk is like saying we need to feed kids apple pie if they don’t like apples” said Ann Cooper, Chef and school nutrition pioneer. The USDA Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which regulates the school lunch programs, requires that flavored milk be fat-free. In addition to the USDA Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the newly passed Massachusetts School Nutrition Bill requires that 8-ounce flavored milk have less than 22g of total sugar. Unless products are developed that meet these standards, full implementation of non-flavored milk will occur in the state by 2013.

Will children drink white milk? Many studies funded by the Dairy Council report that children will not drink white milk, while many independent studies suggest otherwise. A preliminary report by the Harvard School of Public Health, The Healthy Lunch Study, evaluated 3,188 school lunch trays and reveals “when only 1% white milk was served instead of chocolate milk, students still drank the same amount of milk.” Lauren Smith, Medical Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, commented on the issue saying  “Studies have shown that when flavored milk is banned, milk consumption drops slightly but then rebounds.”

Many parents are condoning the removal of chocolate milk complaining that schools are acting as food police. According to the CDC’s Children’s Food Environment State Indicator Report, 2011 “The environments to which children are exposed in their daily lives—schools, child care facilities, and their communities—can influence the healthfulness of their diets. With the high prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S., supporting healthy food environments is a key strategy to reach the public health goals of reducing childhood obesity and improving nutrition.” Children typically eat 2 out of 3 meals per day at school, therefore schools need to provide children with a healthful food environment and model healthful habits that children can become accustom to and continue into adulthood.

Sorry chocolate milk, although you are just one of the many, many culprits in this epidemic, you may have to take the fall on this one. 

Naturally Debatable.

The definition of natural foods, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “food that has undergone minimal processing and contains no preservatives or artificial additives.” What is and isn’t considered natural, in relation to food, depends on whom you ask. The food industry throws around the term for potato chips, canned soups and even jellybeans! Some definitions, although broad, have been developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to govern certain food products, while other agencies have no regulations that directly deal with natural food claims.

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no formal guidelines for the use of the term natural in food claims. Since the late 1980s, the agency has maintained a policy that it will not restrict the use of the term except for added color, artificial or synthetic substances, and artificial flavors. Natural, according the FDA, refers to “nothing artificial or synthetic has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in the food.” The agency does take action against labeling that is considered misleading or misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

For many consumers, confusion isn’t solely due to the ambiguous meaning of natural on a food label, but also arises when they try to distinguish between natural and organic products. A 2009 study performed by the Shelton Group, a company that specializes in marketing sustainability, revealed uncertainty among American consumers about products within the green market. The results showed that consumers consider "natural" to be a greener term than "organic." The President and CEO of the company, Suzanne Shelton, noted that the consumers who were surveyed overall felt that “organic was just a fancy way of saying expensive. They think 'natural' is regulated by the government but that organic isn't, and of course it's just the opposite.”


                                      

The food industry has tried to sway the government into clarifying the issue through legal actions. Today, there are petitions pending before both agencies from players in the food industry requesting that they each define “natural” by regulation. One of the petitions before the FDA was submitted by The Sugar Association in February 2006, and requests that FDA define “natural” by adopting USDA’s policy in a regulation.

The Sugar Association’s petition states that the actual chemical state of high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners have been altered so much during processing that it cannot be considered natural. The Corn Refiners Association sent comments to the FDA in response to the Sugar Association’s petition, stating the claims would draw an “unjustified and inconsistent distinction between sucrose and the high-fructose corn syrup”.

Natural foods are a large and profitable sector for the food industry. During 2010, “natural” was the number one claim on new product packaging, appearing on 23% of new products. It seems that the natural food market will continue to grow. The FDA may never issue a definition that clearly defines the use of natural food claims. Furthermore, even if the meaning of “natural” is defined it does not guarantee clarity on the issue or that industry will approve of the definition. Another question still remains as to whether regulation will benefit the consumer. If consumers continue to view natural as a synonym for healthful, many more issues can arise that may be out of the scope of the government and even the food industry.

MObama Deserves a Thank You.

The First Lady's success in establishing the Let's Move Campaign and then furthering its goals over the past year have been substantial. I think that she deserves a "Thank You" from our nation, whether we have been directly affected by her initiative or have only heard about the fruits of her labor in our neighborhood or state. Here is a recap of what she has done in the past year:


1. Organic White House Vegetable Garden- On March 20th of 2009 the Obama's broke ground on the White House's South Lawn, with over twenty students from a local elementary school, for an organic vegetable garden. The White House has not had a garden on it's property since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden during World War II. The Obama's hope to set an example of healthful eating for the country by educating children about nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables. The first lady is hoping children will become interested in where their produce comes from and influence their families and communities to eat healthier.

2. Let's Move!- A little over a year ago the First Lady announced her initiative to find a solution to childhood obesity in the United States that encourages healthful eating and physical activity. The five key components that the campaign focuses on are creating a healthy start for children, empowering parents and caregivers, providing healthy food in schools, improving access to healthy affordable food and increasing physical activity. Here is video of Michelle Obama recapping the last year of Let's Move!


Here are a few highlights of the campaign's accomplishments:

• USDA's healthier U.S. School Challenge programs, which recognize schools that promote healthful eating and physical activity, has been adopted by the campaign and expanded.
• USDA's Chefs Move to Schools pairs chefs with interested districts to develop healthful menu items and incorporate local food. This program has also been adopted by the initiative and participation and interest from schools has skyrocketed. 
• National conversation has shifted its focus to the issue of childhood obesity and many people have joined the discussion leading to a great deal of inspiration and ideas aimed at solving the problem.
• Recognition and support from the food industry, in response to the campaign calling for better access to and greater affordability of healthful foods for all Americans, has led to the Grocery Manufacturers Association's development of the Nutrition Keys and Walmart's Nutrition Charter. 
• Government officials within some communities have taken action to improve access to healthful foods and fund physical education programs. 

3. Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010- In August of 2010 the First Lady began speaking to congress about how important the passing of this act would be for our nation. Apparently her speeches were effective because on December 13th, 2010 the bill was presented to President Obama who signed the act into law. The bill gives funding to federal school meal and child nutrition programs. It ensures the additional enrollment of 115,000 low income children to provide access to nutritious meals. Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids will improve the quality of school meals, mirroring the goals of Let's Move!, by reworking nutritional standards of meals and monitoring schools for adherence.


4. Walmart Nutrition Charter- Not long after the first anniversary of the Let's Move Campaign this year, Walmart announced its Nutrition Charter to provide healthier and more affordable food for its customers. The nation's largest food retailer has promised to:

• Build new stores in areas that currently have little access to healthful foods.
• Make healthful food more affordable.
• Participate in developing consistent front-of-package labeling to make it easier for shoppers to identify healthful foods.
• To commit, by 2015, to carrying only items that have reduced their sodium content by 25%, reduced added sugars by 15% and eliminated trans fats. 

Over 140 million people shop at Walmart each week. The company is also the largest customer of most food companies putting significant pressure on the industry to provide its customers with healthier products or face being removed from the shelves.

February 9, 2011

“We applaud the First Lady’s advocacy efforts for better nutrition for America’s children. She has served as a powerful catalyst in our efforts to make food healthier and healthier food more affordable and we look forward to continue working with Let’s Move to bring better nutrition to kitchen tables across the country.”

- Andrea Thomas, Senior Vice President for Sustainability, Walmart

5. Restaurants- Michelle Obama has been discussing the restaurant industry's role in her campaign with the National Restaurant Association over the past year. Her hope is for the adoption of smaller portions and children's meals that include healthful alternatives to the traditional french fries and soda accompaniments. The White House has said that the talks are still in the early stages and that no formal agreements have been made.

Thank you Michelle Obama and everyone who have contributed to furthering her campaign, I hope the year ahead will be just as fortunate as the last!

Who Gets to Hold the Salt Shaker?

In 1963, The American Heart Association realized February held a unique opportunity to spread awareness, in a month already filled with images of hearts, by establishing this month as American Heart Month.  Salt reduction is one of the major recommendations regarding heart health that we hear over and over because of its link to hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

The average American exceeds the maximum recommended sodium intake of 2,300mg or 1 teaspoon per day. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released on Monday (by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) urge consumers to further reduce daily sodium to 1,500 mg for children, people who currently have hypertension, and those over the age of 51.

So how will a country that has developed it’s palate for high amounts of sodium put down the saltshaker? The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a set of recommendations last April that proposes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take regulatory action in gradually reducing sodium throughout the food supply. Why get the government involved? Although putting away the saltshaker will benefit you, the majority of the average American’s sodium intake comes from prepared or processed foods that do not necessarily taste salty.

Should the FDA take action? I am usually a firm believer that American consumers are responsible for their own wellness as long as the information needed is readily available. The majority of the U.S. population knows that sodium negatively impacts its health. The problem lies in the public’s time for and ability to read nutrition facts labels. If the FDA does step in and do what the IOM perceives to be the government’s part in the sodium crisis, a consumer can always pull out their saltshaker and add it back.