Press Releases
Conrad Weiser School District Honored for Dairy Excellence
PHILADELPHIA (February 1, 2007) – Conrad Weiser Area School District recently earned the Dairy Councils of Pennsylvania’s Dairy Excellence Award for innovative efforts to encourage students to drink more milk. Led by Food Service Director Candy Hartranft, the district has realized a 13 percent increase in milk consumption since switching from the conventional paperboard milk cartons to resealable single-serve plastic bottles.
Hartranft is a believer in the research that proves students will drink more milk if it’s packaged in 8-ounce resealable plastic bottles. Swiss Premium Dairy, the district’s milk processor, credits Hartranft as one of the driving forces in its decision to offer school milk in single-serve plastic bottles.
“Kids are so used to beverages in plastic containers and they’re drawn to the attention-grabbing packaging,” Hartranft said. “We need to offer milk so it appeals to the students.”
To be eligible for the Dairy Excellence Award, schools had to meet 10 out of 13 criteria including offering milk in plastic bottles, maintaining recommended milk temperatures at all serving sites, using dairy point of sale materials, increasing milk consumption, and offering an alternative meal service for lunch or breakfast. It was through a milk temperature study last year that the cafeteria staff decided to keep the coolers closed between lunch shifts to keep milk at the proper temperature.
In recognition of their efforts to promote dairy, the Conrad Weiser School District received a 3-A-Day™ of Dairy vending machine. It is installed in the middle school’s cafeteria and complements the traditional lunch line and a la carte line. The middle school also received free dairy products, student vending incentives and 3-A-Day™ aprons for the cafeteria staff. For her outstanding leadership, Hartranft will attend the 2007 School Nutrition Association conference in Chicago. Ill., July 15-17.
For 50 cents or less, Conrad Weiser Middle School’s 1,000 students can purchase:
- 1 percent chocolate, vanilla and strawberry milk
- 2 percent white milk
- 4 ounce yogurt cups
- Go-GURT® yogurt tubes
- 1 ounce American cheese
- 1 ounce mozzarella cheese
- 1 ounce Colby Jack cheese
- Vanilla and chocolate pudding