Dean Foods Company commends the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for recognizing the importance of dairy in the revised nutrition standards for school lunches, announced during a ceremony with First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, at Parkland Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognized milk products as a key contributor of three of the four “shortfall nutrients” in the U.S. diet – calcium, potassium and vitamin D – and recommended adults and children increase consumption of fat-free and low-fat dairy products.

Parkland Elementary serves milk made by the Dean Foods Shenandoah’s Pride brand, including white milk, and fat-free TruMoo chocolate milk. Launched last year, TruMoo fat-free chocolate milk contains just 40 more calories than plain white milk per serving and is made without high fructose corn syrup. With only 130 calories per serving and 10 grams of added sugar, TruMoo delivers the same nine essential nutrients as white milk in a fat-free formula that conforms to the new USDA guidelines.

“Shenandoah’s Pride has been a strong partner with our school customers in developing a better-for-you chocolate milk formula with a taste kids love and the nutrition they need,” said Bill Hogan, Shenandoah’s Pride general manager.

In 2011, Fairfax County Public Schools in the Washington, D.C., suburbs gained national attention by reversing a chocolate milk ban to partner with Shenandoah’s Pride to bring a reformulated chocolate milk back into the cafeteria. The milk piloted with Fairfax schools became what is known today as TruMoo.

After successful regional retail and school pilots in the Northeast and Pacific Coast regions, virtually all of the flavored milk across Dean Foods’ family of regional brands converted to TruMoo in August 2011, making it one of the largest milk brands in the country by sales and by volume.

Tens of thousands of schools across the country converted to fat-free TruMoo at the start of the school year, meeting proposed USDA nutrition standards for school meals ahead of the finalized rules announced today.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new Nutritional Standards for School Meals help ensure the nation’s school children have access to lunches and breakfasts that meet federal dietary guidance for good nutrition.

The standards will encourage students to meet federal recommendations for dairy consumption by requiring that either fat-free flavored milk or low-fat or fat-free white milk be offered with each school meal. As the number one food source of three of the four nutrients[i] the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identified as lacking in children’s diets (vitamin D, calcium and potassium), milk plays an important role in delivering critical nutrients.

“On average, by the time they are 4 years old, children fall below the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommended dairy intake. By requiring that schools offer low-fat or fat-free milk with every meal, these standards can help children come closer to meeting their nutrient needs,” said Jean H. Ragalie, R.D., President of National Dairy Council.

“Building nutrient-rich school meals is an important step toward helping students develop healthy eating patterns at an early age, and we commend the USDA for making important updates to school nutrition standards at a time when providing children access to proper nutrition has never been more important.”

While the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends increasing intake of low fat and fat free milk, especially among children, the new school meal standards include a provision that all flavored milk offered in school be fat-free. Working together, dairy farmers, milk processors and schools have proactively reformulated milk and milk products to meet children’s taste and nutrient needs.

Since 2006, added sugars in chocolate milk offered in schools have been reduced by an estimated 38 percent, though flavored milk contributes just 3 percent of the added sugars and 2 percent of calories to children’s diets on average. This school year, an estimated 95 percent of flavored milk served in schools is 150 calories or less – with an average of 134 – just 31 calories more than white milk.

The updated nutrition standards reflect a school meal environment that goes beyond lunch. More students are taking advantage of school breakfast programs, and eating breakfast can enhance schoolchildren’s diets by contributing essential nutrients. Additionally, some studies show its intake may provide additional benefits toward academic achievement.

Nutrient-rich foods, such as low-fat and fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt are important options for school menus to help students fuel their day in a nutritious way. Providing children access to proper nutrition and nutrition education in schools has been a priority for National Dairy Council for nearly a century.

In response to the growing obesity epidemic and the majority of American students not meeting physical activity recommendations, National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in cooperation with the USDA, launched a unique in-school nutrition and physical activity program called Fuel Up to Play 60.

The program encourages consumption of low-fat and fat-free milk and milk products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and achieving at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. With a massive reach of more than 70,000 schools, Fuel Up to Play 60 is helping empower students to play a leadership role in shaping the nutrition and physical activity opportunities in school for themselves and their peers.

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