A 5th grade in Barrington, Ill., drinks a chocolate milk during her lunch break. Mansfield students soon might not have the option of drinking chocolate milk with their school lunches as the district moves into compliance with new state and federal regulations. MANSFIELD - Town students soon might not have the option of drinking chocolate milk with their school lunches as the district moves into compliance with new state and federal regulations.
Dawn Langtry, the district's food services director, detailed the federal guidelines and a new state law in a presentation to the school committee Tuesday night. Among the changes included in the new state law is a regulation that requires any flavored milk served to have less than 22 grams of sugar per 8 ounces, possibly preventing the district from offering chocolate milk.
"This is when chocolate milk is probably going to go away," Langtry said. Langtry said the new law, which goes into effect next August, will cover the entire school community from 30 minutes before classes to 30 minutes after the end of the school day. During that time, all food and beverages either given to students or available for purchase must meet stringent nutritional requirements.
"This makes things complicated," Langtry said. Things such as vending machines, snack bars and treats served in classrooms are all subject to the new regulations, Langtry said. The regulations will not extend to booster club activities outside of the time frame. The school committee in May pre-emptively banned cupcakes and other treats from being served in classrooms, partially because of the risks of childhood obesity and diabetes, and partially because of concerns over food allergies.
Langtry said making the move early gives school officials more time to explain the changes to students and parents. "It gives you time to transition; it gives you time to communicate; it gives you time to ease the process along a little bit better," she said.
The regulations also force school lunches to meet specific nutritional requirements in areas, including calories, fats and certain vitamins. Making a meal that follows the nutritional guidelines and still tastes good requires a mix of science and art, said Ed Vozzella, the district's director of finance and operations. "The science is to meet all those requirements and the art is to make it attractive to the kids," he said.