GOT CHOCOLATE MILK?
Mmm...
Ingredients: Lowfat milk, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanillin, carageenan, guar gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3
Yes, I remember chocolate milk. I used to get the little half-pints of Garelick Farms Chocolate Milk at elementary school, it was really the only way I would drink the stuff. Sure, I had milk at home, but it was more about drowning cereal than as a beverage. These days, I do not TOUCH the stuff, due to my altered anatomy, milk can cause a revolt in my gut.
| Flavored Milk in Perspective |
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I don't buy it for my kids either, but I can't exactly control the purchase of it with their hot lunches when they have it available to them.
But, a new advertising campaign is pimping out the benefits of chocolate milk for our kids. I saw this first hand on Twitter the other night, when there was a PR blast of #chocolatemilk chat.
"Ain't nothing better, I love me some #chocolatemilk!"
RT @4chocolatemilk: Calcium helps keep your teeth strong and healthy!! #chocolatemilk
I was confused to say the least.
The dairy industry rolled out an expensive media campaign this week in praise of chocolate milk, a classic school lunch beverage whose sugar content is under assault in some districts.
But as trade groups spend upward of $1 million to defend the drink, three area fifth-graders already have come to its rescue.
But, the Dairy peeps say they didn't know schools were banning the sugary substance when they started this campaign. Uh, duh?
Officials with the Milk Processor Education Program, a trade group for the dairy industry, said they did not know how many school districts pulled flavored milk from their cafeterias. But they said anecdotal examples from around the country and growing concerns about childhood nutrition convinced them that they needed to promote a message that chocolate milk is healthy.
The new ad campaign from the dairy industry, set to launch today, emphasizes that sugary flavorings are ways to get children to drink milk. Without them, some youngsters won’t drink regular milk and get its nutrients, the ads say.
The Raise Your Hand for Chocolate Milk campaign starts with an ad in USA Today featuring chocolaty brown colors and the launch of a website that asks people to sign a petition declaring their support for chocolate milk in school.
But some educators and obesity specialists say children get enough calcium, essential for bone growth, and will drink white milk if it’s the only milk offered. They say children get too much sugar, which is heightening America’s obesity problem.
The idea behind the campaign is to draw a distinction between chocolate milk and the soda that has come under attack in schools, said Vivien Godfrey, CEO of the Milk Processor Education Program, the industry marketing group that developed the campaign with the National Dairy Council.
It is estimated that a little container of the stuff over a school year can add 5 additional pounds on a little body frame. It's just not necessary. And, if the choice is removed, many kids will still drink the plain milk, it's not like little kids are going to go on a thirst strike because you've taken away the chocolate milk.
This seems like it's more about milk sales than health.
Although Dairy Council Blog entries do make you wonder: "Chocolate milk: An ideal sports drink."
