Dairy Processing - July/August 2023 - 26

It is absolutely
critical at
this time for
policymakers,
school nutrition
officials, food
makers and
parents to come
together to find
ways to improve
nutrition
security for our
youth. "
Michael Dykes, International
Dairy Foods Association
management-focused eating plans from the
International Diabetes Federation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) highlights dairy as a way to help people
across populations meet the body's needs
for essential nutrients. In the US, milk is the
number one food source for calcium, vitamin
D and potassium in the diets of adults and
children; cheese is the number two food source
of calcium, after milk.
ACCESSIBLE NUTRITION
Danone North America, Broomfield, Colo.,
and White Plains, NY, released its State of
Nutrition Equality Study which analyzed the
attitudes, beliefs and expectations around
food and nutrition access of more than 4,000
Americans, across ethnicity, region, age and
income level.
The study found that most Americans (60%)
do not eat what they would describe as very
nutritious foods, due to significant economic
and physical barriers. Those surveyed believe
these gaps have a ripple effect, impacting
their families, communities and the country
at-large, where diet-related diseases currently
lead to more than one million preventable
deaths annually.
The study findings come amid continued
economic pressures, and as expanded
pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are ending,
causing as many as 15 million people to lose
coverage in the coming months.
" Danone believes in a future where nutrition
is more available, accessible and equitable
- our vision is for a more inclusive state of
nutrition where consumers have agency over
their health, through food, " said Shane Grant,
Group Deputy chief executive officer, Danone.
" Our mission is to bring health through food
to as many people as possible, but we cannot
act alone. Improving nutrition equality at scale
will require partnership across sectors for
transformational change. "
A FOCUS ON KIDS
In 2020, the federal Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee report found that 79%
of 9- to 13-year-olds were not meeting the
recommended intake of dairy foods. In their
comments to United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), the International Dairy
Foods Association (IDFA) and National Milk
Producers Federation (NMPF) noted that school
children of all ages are falling short of these
recommendations, and they rely on school
meals to meet their nutritional needs.
Highlighting dairy's role in school meals, a
recent survey found 92% of voters with children
in public schools think that providing milk
to students is important for children's daily
nutritional intake.
Data from the national tracking poll,
conducted by Morning Consult, also showed
that 91% of those parents think making sure
school meals are healthy and nutritious
26 JUL-AUG 2023 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
David Gordon
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - July/August 2023

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