In September, Carlinville, Ill.-based Prairie Farms Dairy sent students back to school with new fat-free, lower-sugar milk varieties in four kid-friendly flavors:  Chocolate, Cookies’N Cream, Strawberry and Vanilla. The proprietary recipes do not include high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners and are based on fat-free milk that does not contain any artificial growth hormones. The school milk line also includes fat-free and 1% milkfat white varieties.

Since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was signed into law in December, Prairie Farms has worked aggressively to improve the formulations used for flavored milk sold in schools. “Our customers asked and we delivered,” says Rebecca Leinenbach, sales program director. “The new formulation is a direct result of ongoing conversations with school foodservice professionals about the stricter standards for school meals that will take effect in the 2012-2013 school year.”

 Available a year ahead of schedule, the new fat-free chocolate milk contains 130 calories per 8-ounce serving and 11 grams of added sugar, compared to the previous 1% milkfat variety with 170 calories and 16 grams of added sugar.