School Marketing: Building Life-Long Dairy Consumers

 

Improving the school milk experience for the nation’s 55 million school children

is the most important priority of dairy checkoff’s childhood nutrition initiative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Look of School Milk

Dairy checkoff’s New Look of School Milk (NLSM) program offers students milk the way they want it – in plastic, re-sealable containers and in many tasty flavors.

 

ADADC’s School Nutritionists are diligently working to promote NLSM to schools throughout the region through mailing, pamphlets, seminars and in-school promotions. To date, more than 9,200 schools—representing more than 5 million students—now offer NLSM to their students.

¨ Toms River School District (NJ) saw a 31% increase in milk sales.

¨ Milton School District (PA) saw an increase in milk sales from just 4,000 cartons a week to over 5,700.

¨ Jamestown City Schools (NY) saw an increase of over 1,200 units in one month.

Over 350 schools throughout New Jersey, northeastern Pennsylvania, and New York now offer NLSM on their menu.

Ultimate School Restyle

To help make students’ environment more appealing and interactive, and help promote three servings of dairy each day, dairy checkoff commissioned seven Ultimate School Restyles throughout the country.

 

Through a partnership with ADADC, Union Hill High School in NJ recently had their cafeteria transformed into a contemporary dining space. The new cafeteria promotes healthy food choices, specifically nutrient-rich dairy with improved product availability, promotion, education and communication about the health benefits of consuming three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt each day.

 

¨ Breakfast participation jumped from 1341 to 2190

¨ Lunch increased from 7003 to 9302, a 75% increase in participation.

Cold Milk Program

Dairy farmers work hard to ensure that they produce the highest quality of milk. ADADC staff spends a tremendous amount of time working with schools to make sure milk is served at its optimal temperature.  When ADADC first began monitoring milk temperatures in 1995, more than 40-percent of participating schools in the marketing area reported milk temperatures over 40.5 degrees.  Now, with more than 3,500 schools participating, less than 10-percent of schools report such problems with warm milk.

 

Expanding School Breakfast

Recent studies have shown that kids who consume breakfast, including dairy, increase their math and reading scores as well as improve their speed and memory in cognitive tests. Research also shows that children who eat breakfast at school closer to class and test-taking time, perform better on standardized tests than those who skip breakfast or eat breakfast at home.  To help increase consumption of a healthy breakfast in schools that includes dairy, ADADC offers three awards in each PA, NJ, and NY to schools that provide alternate breakfast service, such as breakfast in the classroom and grab-n-go.

 

Action For Healthy Kids

Dairy producers, through the checkoff-funded National Dairy Council (NDC), are working to improve the health of America’s children through Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK). AFHK is an organization addressing the epidemic of overweight, undernourished, and sedentary youth by focusing on changes in and out of schools – including exercise and maintaining a healthy diet that contains three servings a day of dairy. Currently, over 6,000 volunteers help elevate Dietary Guideline awareness, build recognition that dairy is a “food to encourage” among children, and advocate for child nutrition guidelines that promote good nutrition by facilitating access to milk, cheese, and yogurt products that appeal to children.

 

 

¨ Promoting and Protecting Dairy Farmers’ Image

¨ ADADC Board & District Info

¨ Retail: In a Store or Restaurant Near You

¨ Partnership with Professional Athletes

    

¨ School Marketing: Building Life-Long Dairy Consumers

¨ Consumer Outreach

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