Submitted via IRC for SoyCow4463
Big Dairy is trying to get teens hooked on lattes to boost milk sales
Amid decades-long souring of milk sales in the United States, big dairy groups have now turned to sponsoring coffee bars in high schools to help skim profits from the trendy—and milk-heavy—latte drinks popular with teens, according to a report by the Associated Press.
A $5,000 dairy grant to a high school in North Dakota helped buy an espresso machine that makes 150-calorie latte drinks containing 8 ounces of milk, for instance. The school went through 530 gallons of milk just for the lattes this school year, according to the food-service director for the school district.
Likewise, a Florida dairy group offers schools grants worth $6,000 to outfit their coffee bars. The campaign is called "moo-lah for schools," which refers to lattes as "moo brew." The group says the coffee bars are an opportunity to "serve 8 oz. of milk with 2 oz. of coffee and added flavorings that fit into your school wellness policy." One of the explicit goals of the grant program is to get students who "might not normally select milk with their school meals to consume milk."
It's unclear how popular the dairy-sponsored coffee bars will be nationwide—or how successful they'll be at hooking a new generation of dairy drinkers. But it's the latest attempt by the industry to get a grip on its dwindling market. Milk consumption has declined by 40 percent since 1975.
[...] Not everyone is happy with the coffee-bar sponsorship. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages children from caffeine consumption, citing blood pressure and heart-rate effects as well as sleep problems and headaches.
Pediatricians have apparently never heard of decaf.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Sunday July 07 2019, @08:00PM (3 children)
When I went to school, there were no vending machines so I don't know how things are now, but my vague impression from the news is that vending machines are on campuses. I don't know if they are served in cafeterias. What I was trying to say, was that a latte stand would essentially be an extension of the cafeteria because there would be baristas serving up drinks. As an extension of the cafeteria, it could make it policy to serve only decaf.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Reziac on Monday July 08 2019, @02:11PM (2 children)
I remember when vending machines were first allowed in my school -- that was in 1972. Before that, if you wanted to suck down soda you had to go off campus, which was generally not allowed except for lunch, nor could you tote around a soda bottle (it would be confiscated).
But vending machines pay their hosts.... and here we are today, debating which sort of crap is least awful for kids to consume.
As I believe you pointed out above, something that actually contains real food beats hell out of glorified sugar water.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Monday July 08 2019, @03:15PM (1 child)
Wow -- your school was ahead of the curve! I was in HS in the 80s.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Monday July 08 2019, @03:57PM
I graduated from HS in 1972. Things were just starting to loosen up, but didn't hit Montana as hard as say, California.
Looking at kids today, I think we need to return to school uniforms and nuns armed with rulers, and kick out commercial everything.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.