Schools to Ban Chocolate Milk in New York State?

The next time that your kids go to school they may not have chocolate milk to choose from. Imagine going to school back in the day and not having your drink options be milk, chocolate milk or apple juice.

Chocolate milk was, of course, always a hit.

But, that might not be an option in the near future in New York State.

USDA officials are getting ready to ban chocolate milk from elementary and middle schools, if approved, in the future. They are saying there is just way too much added sugar. In fact, the flavored milk is the leading source of added sugar.

USDA is proposing to allow flavored milk for high school children only (grades 9-12). This approach would reduce exposure to added sugars and would promote the more nutrient-dense choice of unflavored milk for young children when their tastes are being formed. The proposed regulatory text for this alternative would allow flavored milk only for high schools (grades 9-12)," the proposal read.

As you can imagine, the proposal, which was considered by the New York City Mayor, has been controversial. Some people are in favor of it and in contrast, a lot of parents and health experts say that there are some health benefits for chocolate milk.

As a parent, I would say: we have to do what we have to do to get kids to consume food, too. Sometimes chocolate milk is the only way kids will drink milk. Either way, there has been no official decision on whether or not the proposal will be passed.