Want milk?

Lucky for you, dairy products are available at several vending machines across campus, providing a calcium-rich alternative to more widely available but tooth-decaying soft drinks.

A growing concern for the health and well-being of youth across the nation has led to the recent appearance of more milk vending machines in schools and public areas.

Milk has been coming out of ISU vending machines for at least four years, said Angie Girard, residence hall clerk.

A new campus vending machine selling only milk and yogurt provides students with even more dairy products.

“We put milk in all of our refrigerated machines, which also hold sandwiches and other cold food items,” Girard said. “We do have one machine at the Hub that is dedicated to just milk.”

The machine is the first to offer only dairy products; it was added to the Hub less than a month ago, said Betsy Watson, marketing director for Anderson Erickson.

“We just felt like it was a perfect location,” Watson said. “Milk is now portable. It’s getting a hip image. It’s convenient, and it’s so much better for you.”

The machine has 2 percent, skim, chocolate and strawberry milk; it also has egg nog for the holidays and several flavors of yogurt.

The number of Anderson Erickson milk vending machines in Iowa has increased steadily in the past two years in order to offer a healthier beverage choice to young consumers, Watson said.

“We have a little over a dozen machines in the Des Moines metro high schools and middle schools that we’re testing,” Watson said. “We hope that the program is a success, and, if the students are drinking it, certainly we want to make it as available to students as we can.”

A new milk machine was also installed next to the children’s play area at the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, Watson said.

One 8-ounce glass of milk provides approximately a quarter of the recommended daily calcium intake, and is important for even students to have enough calcium to maintain bone health, said Sam Beattie, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition.

Milk is one of the highest sources of calcium, he said.

“The benefits of consuming milk over soda are pretty evident,” Beattie said. “There are nothing but empty calories in a bottle or can of soda, while milk provides a variety of nutrients, including protein, vitamins and, importantly, calcium.”

New evidence from the dairy industry suggests that milk can also be a significant part of weight management and can even help people lose weight, Beattie said.

Most students, however, still go for the soda, partially because it is more widely available than milk.

“Roughly 20 machines on campus have milk in them,” Girard said. “There’s a lot more soda machines on campus — there’s approximately 150 soda machines.”

Although the number of milk machines hasn’t increased significantly at Iowa State, growing demand would bring more of them to campus, Girard said.

“Customers request [milk], and it does add a nutritional beverage option, as opposed to drinking soda,” Girard said.