Fayetteville Public Schools to remove chocolate milk from breakfast menu

Photo by Justin Campbell, CC 2.0 / Enlarge
A comparison of the nutritional values of regular milk and chocolate milk.

In an effort to reduce students’ sugar intake in the mornings, Fayetteville Public Schools will stop offering chocolate milk with breakfast beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6.

“This decision was made after much consideration,” said Alan Wilbourn, the district’s public information officer, in a news release. “It is widely accepted that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If we can help our students concentrate better in class each day by eliminating a significant amount of sugar from his or her school breakfast, we think it is well worth it.”

Chocolate milk bans are a hot topic in several places around the country.

The Santa Monica-Malibu school district in California considered removing chocolate milk from its menu, but ultimately voted against the proposal.

A USA Today story notes that the Florida Board of Education backed away from its recent proposed ban on chocolate milk after the state’s agricultural commissioner urged the board to look at all sugary food and beverages served in schools.

According to the release, chocolate milk will still be available for Fayetteville students with their lunch meal.