Q&A: Helping Milk Compete Calls For A Single-Serve Approach
A: Kids of all ages choose milk more often when it's offered refreshingly cold in single-serve plastic bottles and in a variety of flavors, according to the School Milk Pilot Project, a study that involved 146 schools and 100,000 children across the country during the 2001-2002 school year. When schools took these steps to make milk more appealing and "cool" for kids, milk sales increased 15% in elementary schools and 22% in secondary schools. Today, more than 1,500 schools are participating in the "New Look of School Milk" program to implement the pilot project's findings and enjoy sustainable sales increases. For instance, three school districts tracked after the original study experienced milk sales growth of 13% to 34% year-over-year for three years.