Chocolate Milk – The Hero Not the Villain

Chocolate milk is attracting lots of attention lately. Is it because this beverage contains 9 essential nutrients that are an important part of a balanced diet? Is it because this delicious beverage is a favorite among children? No, it’s because chocolate milk is being blamed as a cause of childhood obesity. British television personality and chef, Jamie Oliver, is leading the fight to have chocolate milk banned from schools.

Childhood obesity is a major problem in our nation but it seems that blaming a food or beverage for this problem is a little short-sighted. Eating a balanced diet containing healthy foods is important. Chocolate milk can easily be a part of a healthy diet because it’s a great source of vitamin D, calcium and potassium – three nutrients of concern kids are lacking. In fact, flavored milk contributes only 3% of the added sugars in children’s diets.

We’ve been consuming dairy, meat, eggs, and grains for generations without obesity being a problem. However, in the past decade obesity has become a major public health challenge. Why? I have a hard time believing this is due to a certain food or beverage. Could the cause be consuming too many calories and not getting enough exercise?

I support milk, flavored or white, being served to children in schools, restaurants or at home. Studies show milk consumption decreases 35% when flavored milk is removed from schools. The dairy industry has taken action to reduce fat, calories and added sugars in flavored milk. Today, the majority of milk in schools is low-fat or fat-free and most flavored milk is at or below 150 calories.

Studies show that children who drink flavored milk drink more milk overall, have better quality diets, do not have higher intakes of added sugar or fat, and are just as likely to be a healthy weight compared to kids who do not consume flavored milk.

As a dairy producer in Ohio, I’m proud to share that chocolate milk is the official beverage of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. That’s because nutrient-rich chocolate milk provides the energy, protein, vitamins and minerals to support strong bones and bodies.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting flavored milk.

Learn more about the benefits of flavored milk @:
American Dairy Association Mideast – Flavored Milk
Got Milk? – Flavored Milk
Fuel Up with Chocolate Milk Facebook Page

The Majority of the U.S. Farm Bill Funds Food & Nutrition Programs

Here I am at the Capital in D.C.

Last week I traveled to Washington D.C. with the Ohio Farm Bureau AgriPower program. One of the topics on our agenda was the 2012 Farm Bill. 

The Farm Bill sets the framework for agriculture policy and funding for a five-year period and is passed into law by the U.S. Congress. Currently, the 2008 Farm Bill, also known as the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, outlines spending in the amount of $288 billion. Discussions are underway for the 2012 Farm Bill which should be adopted by mid-2012. The Farm Bill is 2% of the Federal Government’s budget.

You might be surprised that the majority of Farm Bill funds are spent on nutrition programs such as food stamps and school lunches. We have an abundant food supply in the U.S. but people still go hungry. According to a presentation by the American Farm Bureau Federation, many families depend on the U.S. government for food;

• 1 of 8 American’s use food banks
• 50% of babies born today benefit from the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program
• 50% of America’s children will be on food stamps at least once before they are 20 years old
• 15% of U.S. households don’t have enough money to feed themselves
• 1 of 7 American’s are on food stamps
• 54% of students receive free lunch at school and 10% get reduced price lunches
• 72% of students get free breakfast at school and 10% have reduced price breakfast

The remaining Farm Bill dollars fund agriculture programs which protect American’s food production system. This chart illustrates a breakdown of proposed 2012 Farm Bill funding (which is similar to the 2008 Farm Bill):

The American people, me included, are tired of all the wasteful government spending and that was made clear during the November 2010 elections. As a result, many government programs will likely receive budget cuts. When you hear elected officials, media or your friends talking about the 2012 Farm Bill, it’s important to know it’s really a food and nutrition bill. Agriculture programs receive ½ of 1 percent of the total federal budget.