A checkoff-led pilot in Cincinnati schools that offered lactose-free chocolate milk increased consumption and reached students who weren’t drinking milk because of real or perceived lactose intolerance.
The National Dairy Council and American Dairy Association Mideast worked with Cincinnati Public Schools to offer the country’s first single-serve lactose-free chocolate milk package to six elementary and four high schools in the fourth quarter of 2023. Because of the program’s success, it was expanded to include all 15 CPS high schools through June of this year. Key findings of the pilot were that when students have the option to choose lactose-free milk, both milk selection and meal participation increase overall. When compared to the rest of the district, the pilot schools experienced a 16-percent increase in milk consumption and a seven percent higher meal participation.
Tracy Enslen of ADA Mideast says the pilot proved meeting unmet demand with innovative offerings can drive consumption.
