New FDA Report Calls for More Milk on Menus

05/06/06 A new report released today by the Food & Drug Administration calls for restaurants to provide more lower- calorie, nutrient-rich food and beverage choices on menus -- including low-fat and fat-free milk and milk products.(1)

FDA Report Calls for Nutrient-Rich Beverage Options, Lauds Single-Serve Milk

The FDA report specifically calls for restaurants to offer more low-fat and fat-free milk beverages, as milk provides important nutrients, such as vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and potassium, lacking in many Americans' diets.(2) The report also recommends that these nutrient-rich beverage options be made readily available -- especially with children's meals. The report points to the success of introducing healthier beverage menu options at select quick service restaurants (QSR), and acknowledges that the key to success is offering nutrient-rich milk in appealing packaging, such as low-fat white and chocolate milk in contemporary, single-serve, 8-ounce plastic bottles.

"With more families eating meals away from home, the FDA report underscores what I know as a mom and registered dietitian: that healthier menu options are a must for meeting the nutrition needs of on-the-go families," says Ann Marie Krautheim, senior vice president of nutrition affairs, National Dairy Council. "This report and leadership from quick service restaurants will serve as a call-to-action for other foodservice outlets to incorporate and market more low calorie, nutrient-rich food choices that appeal to consumers, such as low-fat and fat-free dairy."

Closing the Gap: Healthier Beverage Options Help Consumers Meet Daily Nutrition Needs

To help Americans close the gap between actual consumption and the government's recommended three daily servings of dairy, Dairy Management, Inc. (DMI), representing America's dairy farmers, collaborates with the foodservice industry -- specifically quick service restaurants (QSRs) McDonald's and Wendy's -- to make more milk choices available.

In 2004 McDonald's and Wendy's both introduced single-serve plastic containers of low-fat white and chocolate milk. DMI is working with additional quick service restaurants to introduce new milk options in 2006.

The introduction of low-fat white and flavored milk at McDonald's and Wendy's meets consumer demand for milk and their nutrition needs while also proving a smart business decision. Since the launch of single-serve, 8-ounce plastic re-sealable bottles, restaurants have experienced a nearly eight fold increase in weekly milk sales, with average weekly sales for these national chains totaling more than 5.2 million units per week, compared to the 690,000 units per week when the milk was offered in paper cartons. The FDA report notes that, since making the switch to 8-ounce bottles, milk sales at both QSRs have been sustained and healthy.(3)

Report Calls for Supporting Dietary Guidelines, Expanding Nutrition Education Programs

The FDA report recommends that restaurants promote food options that increase consumer demand for the food groups encouraged in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. The guidelines encourage Americans to increase their intake of low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains -- to help effectively manage caloric intake and maintain healthy weight.(4,5)

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines increased the recommendation of dairy foods to 3 servings every day -- from 2 to 3 servings recommended in the previous guidelines -- to help meet the nutrition requirements for four of the seven most critical nutrients Americans are lacking, including vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Dairy foods supply three of the five nutrients of concern for which children have low intakes: calcium, potassium, magnesium. Overall, dairy foods together contain nine nutrients essential for good health: calcium, protein, potassium, vitamins D, A and B12, phosphorus, riboflavin and niacin.

Specifically, the FDA report calls for the Milk Matters program at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, as well as the Powerful Bones, Powerful Girls program at the CDC, to be expanded to build skills for selecting foods and beverages away from home. The report suggests that both programs could include a large-scale social marketing campaign to promote the intake of three daily servings of low-fat and nonfat milk and milk products, consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

Also supporting the recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the 3-A-Day(TM) of Dairy nutrition education and marketing program from the American Dairy Association/National Dairy Council (ADA/NDC). The 3-A-Day of Dairy program helps Americans understand the health benefits of dairy foods and how they can incorporate the recommended 3 daily servings of dairy into their healthy lifestyle.

For more information on the health benefits of dairy, visit http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org .