The Future of Milk

By David Goodman, "The Future of Milk," July/August 2010

As small dairy farms are vanishing, what is happening to our milk?

READER'S COMMENT:

"Skip the milk produced by the big commercial dairy farms. Better yet, go vegan or vegetarian and support dairy and cattle farmers that switch to growing vegetables and fruit which are more healthy and ecological alternatives. Too much of...

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Not Milk?

I confess: I’m not a big milk drinker. A half-gallon lasts my family of four a week. We use it in cereal and coffee. And I’m not unusual. In the age of energy drinks, bottled water and diet shakes, milk has taken a beating. Since 1980, milk consumption per capita has dropped by more than 22 percent in the U.S., while consumption of “liquid refreshment beverages” (including energy drinks, bottled teas, bottled water and “value-added water” as well as soda) has doubled.
The dramatic shift to sugary drinks among young people has not gone unnoticed. Back in 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement on soft drinks in schools that included “displacement of milk consumption” as one of the potential health risks associated with high intake of sweetened drinks. Soda taxes and bans on school vending machines have popped up across the country, and in March, PepsiCo agreed to stop global sales of sugary soft drinks in schools.