Milk machines make school unique

North Hills school officials hope students will milk the vending machines.

With the start of classes last week, the school added two milk vending machines to its cafeteria.

The school might be the only one in the area with milk vending machines competing with soft-drink machines, according to a district administrator and a spokesman for the state Milk Marketing Board.

North Hills' milk machines, which are spotted like a Holstein heifer, offer chocolate, strawberry and regular milk in 16-ounce plastic containers.

'I love it. The cow design is great. It's very appealing,' sophomore Kari Dickerson, 15, said Tuesday as she bought chocolate milk during her lunch period.

George Zappas, North Hills food service director, said the school's vending company told him this is one of the only schools in the tri-state area to have milk vending machines.

Zappas had asked the firm, W.S. Vending Machine Co., to come up with a new machine to put in the high school cafeteria.

'They offered me a milk vending machine, and I liked the idea of offering more choices for the students,' Zappas said. 'The company told me this is the only machine that they have put into any other schools. I don't think I've heard of anybody else doing this.'

Tracey Jackson, director of consumer affairs of the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board in Harrisburg, said she was not aware of any other schools offering milk in vending machines.

Students said they liked having more choices at lunch time.

'I like this milk better. The cafeteria only has 2 percent chocolate milk,' said sophomore Dan Tallarico, 15.

The cafeteria offers whole white milk, skim white milk and 2 percent chocolate milk in 8-ounce cartons that cost 50 cents each. The vending machine offers white, chocolate and strawberry - all in whole and skim varieties - in 16-ounce plastic containers that cost $1.25 each.

Zappas said the milk, distributed by Nesquik Corp., is highly pasteurized and can be left out of a refrigerator for a longer period of time without spoiling.

He said the machines are kept on all day so students attending after-school activities can grab a healthy gulp.

The district has a five-year contract with PepsiCo, and a few Pepsi soft drink machines line the high school cafeteria walls. These machines are turned on only for lunch.

Zappas said he is monitoring milk sales to determine whether the machines should be kept at the high school or expanded to other schools.

Vending machine profits are funneled back into food services programs, such as a breakfast program that allows working parents to drop their children off at school for a supervised breakfast.

While vending machines pull in revenue for a district, some school officials and parents have been wary of installing them. The Pittsburgh Public School District recently let a potential $2.6 million contract with PepsiCo die at the school board level after several members voiced concerns about the company using the school to market its product. Also, the American Dental Association has come out against soda machines in schools and is to release a study this fall about the effects of soft drinks on dental health.

Pat McKentey, a milk inspector for the state Department of Agriculture, said she was delighted to hear that milk was being marketed in a school.

'Milk is absolutely nature's one most perfect food,' McKentey said. 'Milk helps kids grow physically and mentally.'

Her area includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland, Greene, Butler, Beaver, Fayette, Washington and Lawrence counties

McKentey said chocolate and strawberry milk are good sources of protein, calcium and vitamins even if they do have more sugar than regular milk.

'It's good to see that students are given a choice. I don't think kids today need any more sugar in their diet,' McKentey said.

Ellen James can be reached at ejames@tribweb.com or (724) 779-7123.