Got chocolate milk? Burlingame Intermediate School students advocate for pilot program to bring it back 

“It’s amazing to make an impact in your community,” Sinha said. 

In a chocolatey brown organized presentation, the two students told district trustees and Superintendent Marla Silversmith at their meeting April 15, to bring back chocolate milk because of its nutritional benefits, increased student satisfaction and promotion of healthy habits. 

“Chocolate milk provides essential vitamins and minerals that kids currently don’t get because most of them don’t drink milk,” their presentation read. “Students enjoy chocolate milk, leading to happier meal times.” 

The students conducted a Google survey of 822 students, finding that while 745% currently do not drink the regular milk offered, 68% did drink chocolate milk when it was previously offered. If the option was brought back, students would more likely receive nutrients in milk, flavored or unflavored, than they are currently, Sinha and Mudd argued. 

“These graphs show a 57.5% increase in the amount of students at BIS who would be drinking milk, flavored or unflavored,” Sinha said. “This means that students would want to drink milk so getting chocolate milk back at our school would truly benefit us.” 

Chocolate milk is currently allowed in California schools if they meet certain criteria. Flavored milk must be fat free or low fat, and not exceed the limit of no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces. 

The students also researched the school’s food provider, Sodexo, and found its chocolate milk option is within the added sugar limits, and wouldn’t cost any more money than already is being spent. 

Chocolate milk is a good source of nutrients, Sinha and Mudd argued, including protein, potassium, calcium and Vitamin D, Sinha and Mudd argued. Additionally, the increase in consuming nutrients found in milk could prevent osteoporosis, they said. 

“Osteoporosis is caused by things like a lack of milk,” Sinha said. ‘Teaching kids to start drinking milk regularly at this age can prevent problems like that.” 

Presenting in front of the board was slightly nerve wracking, Sinha and Mudd said, but they believed in their cause. 

“As it started to go on, I got used to it and it was just like presenting to teachers,” Mudd said. 

Public commenter Bryant McLaughlin shared his desire for alternative nutritional drinks to be offered, such as a kefir kale blueberry banana smoothie, rather than chocolate milk, but appreciated the students’ efforts to organize such a presentation. 

The Burlingame School District Board of Trustees approved a pilot program that will offer a chocolate milk option at lunchtime two days a week for the remainder of the school year at Burlingame Intermediate School only. 

Mudd and Sinha will be responsible for gathering data on its popularity, how students balance their meals, and see if students are still eating their meals. They will also conduct a parent survey to gather their thoughts on the option returning.  

“Something people are worried about, especially with the elementary schools that the kids just get the lunch for the chocolate milk and then they just throw out the lunch, which is why we only got it back for the middle school because we’re hoping that they’re mature enough now to understand that,” Sinha said. 

The pair will return to the board at its meeting June 17, to report their findings. 

“It was pretty exciting,” Mudd said. “I’ve always heard people saying ‘you can do anything’ but we really proven that, even though it’s a small thing.”