For many kids in America, the school meal programs such as the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are the only chance to get nutritionally balanced meals. School meals help nourish and educate children and shape life-long healthy habits.
From the beginning, milk has been part of the school meal, which is a huge opportunity to improve child health and dairy consumption, if optimized. However, factors such as removal of flavored milk, limits to low-fat or fat-free milk options and packaging, among others, likely have contributed to the slow erosion in milk consumption among children – and thus, among adults.