February
2009
DAIRY
CHECKOFF UPDATE
A
periodic report for dairy media demonstrating how Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI)
and affiliated state and regional promotion organizations work to increase
demand for and sales of U.S.-produced dairy products and ingredients through the
programs of the American Dairy Association®, National Dairy Council® and U.S.
Dairy Export Council®. For more information about these and other dairy
checkoff programs, please contact Jennifer Wing at (847) 627-3225 or jenniferw@rosedmi.com.
Study
Shows Teens with Higher Dairy Intake Have Lower Body Fat
A
new study, funded by the National Dairy Council® (NDC), the nutrition research
and education arm of the national dairy checkoff, found a connection between
higher dairy intake and lower body fat levels among adolescents. This study
further positions dairy’s role as part of a healthy diet and reinforces the
commitment by dairy producers to help improve children’s health and wellness.
The
study, released in the December 2008 Journal of American College of Nutrition,
examined dairy consumption and body fat among more than 10,000 U.S. children and
adolescents using data from two of the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Surveys (NHANES) and found that a low dairy intake among 12 -16 year-olds —
less than one serving per day for girls and less than two servings per day for
boys — was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) and greater body
fat. Additionally, similar results were seen when examining total calcium intake
in relation to body fat among the same age range. However, among younger
children, ages 5-11, there was no consistent association between dairy or
calcium intake and body fat levels.
“Encouraging
kids to eat three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt each
day, in accordance with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is an easy
way to help them build and maintain strong, healthy bones, muscles and teeth,”
said Ann Marie Krautheim, a registered dietitian and senior vice president of
nutrition affairs for the NDC. “Children’s nutrition remains a top priority
for the dairy checkoff. At a time when childhood obesity is one of our most
urgent health concerns, it is critical to work to help improve children’s
health by educating and collaborating with health professionals, parents and
others to ensure that our nation’s youth reap the health benefits of dairy’s
unique package of nine essential nutrients.”
In
addition to working with health professional partners, checkoff staffs also are
communicating the study results to national and local health and nutrition
reporters to help educate the public of the study’s findings.
For
more information, visit www.nationaldairycouncil.org.
Nutrition
Award Winners Recognize School Milk Sales and Innovation
Providing
students milk in plastic, re-sealable bottles helps the dairy checkoff increase
milk consumption and build lifelong dairy consumers. That’s why dairy
producers, through their investment, have teamed up with Dairy Foods
magazine for the fourth straight year to sponsor the annual Leadership in School
Nutrition (LISN) Awards. The LISN awards acknowledge and promote positive
partnerships between dairy processors and schools through innovations in milk
programs that use kid-appealing, plastic bottles, nationally known as the New
Look of School Milk (NLSM).
This
year’s LISN grand prize winners were South-Western City School District of
Grove City, Ohio, and H. Meyer Dairy of Cincinnati, Ohio. Each organization
received $5,000 to be used toward future school nutrition efforts.
Since
the decision was made to replace cartons with plastic bottles on all meal lines,
milk sales have increased 6 percent in the first year of South-Western’s
program. Equally significant is the district’s “Healthier Generation and
Greener Community” recycling program — a partnership with the Solid Waste
Authority of Central Ohio to recycle the highly demanded #2 plastic bottles
throughout the district. It is estimated that 88 tons of plastic will be
recycled each school year.
Two
other school districts and dairy processors were recognized for their
partnerships. Second place LISN winners were Flatonia Independent School
District of Flatonia, Texas, and Borden Milk Products LP of Austin, Texas. Based
on a survey indicating that 75 percent of students were skipping dinner or
breakfast meals, the school district addressed this issue with a universal
breakfast program where milk consumption increased 125 percent. Each
organization received $2,000.
Third
place winners were Evanston Township High School District 202 of Evanston, Ill.,
and Kemps Dairy of Chicago, Ill. This district has been serving milk in plastic
bottles since 2004 and has expanded the NLSM to 18 districts in the area. Along
with expansion, recycling the plastic bottles and promotions including “Free
Pint Friday” gained student interest and increased participation. Each
organization received $1,000.
To
date, nearly 11,000 schools nationwide participate in the checkoff-funded NLSM
program, reaching more than 6 million students with single-serve milk on the
school meal line, a la carte and through milk vending. For more information,
visit www.nutritionexplorations.org
or www.dairycheckoff.com.
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