Effect of a flavored milk option in a school lunch program.

An analysis of nutrient intake and of plate waste for four hundred elementary school children, when an option of chocolate milk was provided in the school lunch program, shows significantly higher intakes of calcium and riboflavin, lower intakes of iron, greater food waste, and significantly less waste of milk. Participation in the school lunch program was not affected by the announced availability of flavored milk in ten schools serving 3,700 children; however, significantly (p less than 0.01) more children bought milk alone.