PepsiCo Inc. , has introduced a line of flavored milk beverages called Quaker Milk Chillers. Pepsi’s move follows news that Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the largest distributor association with the Coca-Cola Co., has acquired options to buy into Bravo! Foods International Corp., a Florida-based marketer of Slammers® flavored milks and shakes. The Quaker line includes chocolate, strawberry and vanilla-flavored beverages made with 2% reduced-fat milk and fortified with calcium and other vitamins.

As more and more U.S. schools are limiting availability of soft drinks for students, a U.S. trade organization representing soft drink manufacturers and distributors has moved toward self-policing. The American Beverage Association last month adopted a new school vending policy to limit availability of soft drinks in schools. The policy aims to replace those offerings with lower calorie and nutritious beverages including juice, water, sport drinks and no-calorie soft drinks.

Organic Valley Family of Farms, in cooperation with yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm has established a transition program that helps to provide supplemental funding for dairy farmers who choose to go organic. The transition fund’s three-tier structure, is designed to meet the needs of each phase of transition, and offers $1 to $2 premiums per hundredweight during the process.

Bravo! Foods has become a sponsor of the Washington Redskins NFL football team. Sponsorship allows Bravo! to provide product samples of its milk drinks during ‘Skins games.

Wisconsin’s cheesemakers say they have become a leader in the Hispanic cheese market. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board provides reports that twenty of the 46 U.S. plants that make Hispanic cheeses in the nation are in Wisconsin. Wisconsin produced 382 million pounds of Hispanic cheeses in 2004, which was 27% of the market nationwide.