Soymilk as an option for school lunches.

What would happen if elementary school children were given a choice of soymilk along with cow's milk in the school cafeteria? That's what researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine aimed to find out in a study in three elementary schools in southern Florida. Approximately a third of the students were Hispanic and a third were African-American. The remainder were white, multiracial, or Asian in ethnicity.

For the 4-week study period, single-serve cartons of calcium-fortified vanilla and chocolate soymilk were placed in the lunch line cooler along with cartons of cow's milk. Before that, the children had a chance to sample the soymilk. At the end of the four-week trial, close to a quarter of the students were choosing soymilk, while three-quarters chose cow's milk. Prior to the introduction of soymilk, approximately 79 percent of students chose a calcium-rich beverage with lunch. This increased to 83 percent after soymilk was introduced, possibly because some students who didn't want to drink cow's milk because of lactose intolerance, allergy, or other reasons now had an alternative. This study illustrates that many children will choose enriched soymilk if it is offered as a part of school lunch. Unfortunately, the National School Lunch Program does not reimburse schools if they serve soymilk in place of cow's milk without a doctor's request.

Reilly JK, Lanou AJ, Barnard ND, et al. 2006. Acceptability of soymilk as a calcium-rich beverage in elementary school children. J Am DietAssoc 106:590-93.