With the number of children who are overweight doubling in the last two to three decades, many schools are implementing programs to promote good nutrition and physical fitness — and the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) is making sure milk is part of the solution. 

From what began in March until June 15, MilkPEP’s America’s Healthiest Student Bodies contest will identify schools that have the most active and healthiest students. “Recognizing schools that are encouraging good nutrition and physical activity ties in well with our message to teens that milk is an important part of a healthy lifestyle,” says Victor Zaborsky, senior manager of marketing for Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). “It also keeps milk top-of-mind with schools, students and parents.” 

Students can nominate their schools by filling out an application on MilkPEP’s Web site, www.whymilk.com. The application asks for a 75-word essay on why a school should be selected and includes a questionnaire for background on the school’s nutrition, athletics and other health and wellness programs. The 50 winning schools will be announced at an event in Washington, D.C., in late August. 

Each school will receive a $1,000 grant to support fitness and nutrition programs and a special “got milk?” recognition assembly.  The student who nominates a winning school will receive a subscription to Teen People and Sports Illustrated as well as a prize package from Adidas and Baby Phat/Phat Farm clothing lines. All student nominators will have the chance to receive a phone call from one of the next milk mustache celebrities. Winners will be selected by a panel of health and fitness experts including representatives from the American School Health Association, National Center for Health Education, School Nutrition Association, President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports Illustrated and Teen People.

Processors are encouraged to promote the “Healthiest Student Bodies” contest with their school customers. To order materials for a school that has not received them, call the milk hotline at (800) 945-MILK (6455).  

MilkPEP, Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation’s milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. IDFA is contracted by MilkPEP to administer processor-funded programming. For more information on the campaign, go to www.whymilk.com or www.idfa.org.

Carlinville, Ill.-based Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. conducted a contest from March 6 to April 14 designed to promote milk awareness for the St. Louis school system through a chocolate milk carton panel design challenge. Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores partnered and were integrated into the program that was promoted via in-cafeteria signage, a contest fold-out brochure, and within art classrooms throughout St. Louis-area elementary, middle and high schools. Approximately 545 schools with a student population of over 250,000 had the opportunity to participate. Entrants received a chocolate milk carton template to design their own, original visual showing their favorite way to enjoy the great taste of milk. Designs were created in a variety of mediums including back and white, color ink, crayon, marker and pencil. For more contest details, visit www.prairiefarms.com.

On Academy Awards night March 5, the official “goodies bags” — prepared by Barrie Lynne, The Cheese Impresario® (www.thecheeseimpresario.com) — included special gift certificates entitling recipients to an evening American artisanal cheese tasting accompanied by California wines. Prominent among these cheeses was a selection crafted by Fiscalini Cheese Co., Modesto, Calif. — all of which have won national and international honors. Presenters, nominees and top Academy representatives received the coveted bags. The company says it was proud to be a participant in the star-studded event and welcomes direct inquiries and orders on its Web site, www.fiscalinicheese.com.

Horizon Organic, Boulder, Colo., has created a calendar abundant with beautiful images and heartfelt stories that highlight a handful of the company’s family farmers; their spirit, the company says, is common to all of its farmers. From the Greenberg family’s 500-head farm in Wisconsin to the Childs’ family 50-head farm in Vermont, all of Horizon’s family farms across the United States share in the company’s mission to promote the health and well-being of the consumer and environment by converting more and more farm land to organic and providing high-quality organic dairy products. For additional information, contact Sara Unrue at (303) 635-4680.

Rob Armstrong Jr., president of East Providence, R.I.-based Munroe Dairy Inc., decided to celebrate his company’s 125th birthday in style. Starting with new branding, Armstrong had the dairy’s logo updated. In doing so, he decided to make the logo nostalgic to reflect his grandfather’s purchase of the dairy in 1936. In addition, this year’s calendar, which the company yearly distributes to its 12,000 customers, embraces a photo album theme with a compilation of photos depicting 125 years at Munroe Dairy. The calendar includes a narrated company history. A quote from the narrative of the opening spread reads: “Images are one of the most compelling tools we have to tell a story. Cavemen uses pictures to tell stories, ancient Greeks and Romans used paintings to depict history and in today’s world, people carry photographs of loved ones with them in their wallets, on their mobile phones, even as wallpaper on their computers at the office. Photographs are storytellers. When we are gone they will continue to tell our story. They will answer questions. They will raise questions.”