Local Success Stories
Mechanicsburg Area School District Switches to Milk in Plastic Bottles
As Mechanicsburg Area School District drafted its local wellness policy, school leaders decided to take a closer look at what beverages they offer in their middle school. In order to maximize the nutritional quality of beverages served and to help students make better beverage choices, the school district decided to decrease the number of beverages offered.
A key component of this change was to switch from paper milk cartons to 8-ounce plastic milk bottles. As a result of the switch, more students are choosing milk and the district has seen an increase in reimbursable meal participation. From November 2005 to November 2006, when the change was made, milk purchases increased by 10 percent.
Students said they liked the design and “cooler” look of the plastic bottles. The district also has introduced vanilla flavored milk, which has been very popular. The addition of another flavor has shown success in that many previous non-milk drinkers have now reported they like the vanilla milk.
Advice: Don’t be intimidated by the higher cost of the plastic milk bottles. Students will purchase more milk and your reimbursable meals will increase.