Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and the NMPF applauded an announcement last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that schools will continue to be allowed to offer flavored low-fat milk for at least the next two years.
Tetra Pak has identified the ready-to-drink (RTD) flavoured milk category as a “strong vehicle” to help the dairy industry move towards “profitability” and away from its reliance on commodity products.
Permitting the use “any safe and suitable” sweeteners - including aspartame - in milk flavouring ingredients would help to stem the current milk consumption decline in US schools, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has claimed.
Flavoured milk drinks have become engrossed in a US debate over combating obesity through taxation, with chocolate and strawberry sweetened dairy drinks facing inclusion in a proposed bill.
Children who drink flavoured milk drink more milk and therefore
have higher calcium intakes than those who do not, finds a study
published this week. And contrary to popular belief, the beverages
do not raise levels of fat and sugar...
