Wendy’s is introducing low-fat, Nestle Nesquik milk in its 5,900 U.S. restaurants along with “Squeezerz,” a low-fat, strawberry yogurt offering in a kid-friendly, squeezable tube.
The low-fat Squeezerz are made with all natural flavors and contain no high fructose corn syrup. The Squeezerz replace a yogurt option that Wendy’s has offered for several years in a cup.
Wendy’s debuted its Kids’ Meal Choices program in 2005. When ordering a Kids’ Meal for their children, parents can substitute mandarin oranges or yogurt for French fries at no extra charge. They can also select milk instead of a soft drink at no extra charge. Almost one third of Wendy’s Kids’ Meal orders now include one of these substitutions, and use of this option continues to increase.
As part of a continuing effort to help families make informed choices about the food they eat, the company also maintains a “Mom RD” section on www.wendys.com. This site provides tips on nutrition and healthy eating from registered dietitians, who are also young mothers.
“The company currently sells about 40 million bottles per year,” says Wendy’s Registered Dietitian Patty Wynkoop. “Wendy’s has been offering 2% fat white and 1% fat chocolate milk, but, with the move to Nesquik, both choices will now contain only 1%.”
The USDA’s MyPyramid recommends two glasses of milk daily (16 ounces total) for one to three year-olds; three glasses (24 ounces total) for four to eight year-olds; and four glasses (32 ounces total) for children nine years old and up.
Less than half of children ages 2-8 and only about one-quarter 9-19 meet the recommended dairy food intake.