In a national survey of nearly 600 parents, Insight Express (Stamford, Conn.) found that the availability of healthful beverages plays an important role in restaurant selection. In fact, 63% of respondents choose restaurants based on whether they promote healthful beverages over sugary drinks, the vast majority (70%) saying they would like their children to drink milk when dining in a restaurant. Some 62% said their children are eating and drinking “healthier” at home.
This is welcome news, considering the widening availability of milk among restaurants, fast-food options in particular. In the past year, both McDonald's (Oak Brook, Ill.) and Wendy's (Dublin, Ohio) have begun offering single-serve, plastic cartons of milk with their children's meals. All of this has been in response to a number of studies relating low milk consumption to poor health, namely an increased likelihood of broken bones or obesity.