IOM Report Recommends Limits to Sale of Dairy Products in Schools

The National Academy of Sciences' Institute for Medicine (IOM) last week released a report that recommends new strict nutrition standards for foods and beverages offered in schools. If adopted and implemented, the new guidelines would limit the types of milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream that schools can offer as a la carte cafeteria items or in vending machines and school stores. Products sold in school cafeterias under federally assisted lunch programs are not included in the proposed guidelines, because they already meet nutritional standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The proposed IOM standards encourage the consumption of nonfat and lowfat milk and dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grain products, but impose restrictions on the sale of foods and beverages with high fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars. These standards would exclude the sale of many snack foods and beverages such as soda, diet soda, sports drinks and flavored waters at school and in related school activities.

Recognizing the important role dairy products have in providing calcium in diets, IOM's report recommends allowing small amounts of added sugars for yogurt and flavored milk. However, these limits would only permit 22 grams of total sugar per eight- ounce serving of flavored milk and 30 grams of sugar per eight-ounce serving of yogurt. Most flavored milks and yogurt currently available would exceed the proposed sugar requirements.

"Although we're still reviewing the report, IDFA believes the new recommendations could potentially have a significant impact on child nutrition if dairy product choices are limited in the school environment," said Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs.

IDFA is reviewing the report and will provide more details to members in the next issue of News Update. To read an executive summary of the report, click here.

Posted April 30, 2007