Guilford County Schools continues to roll out smoothies made with milk, yogurt, and fruit in the new year. First introduced as a pilot program in March 2022 at Northern Guilford Middle School, the district is gradually rolling them out to all grade levels. North Guilford Middle School’s breakfast participation averaged a 6% increase and its lunch an average 5% increase after implementing smoothies on the menu, while milk usage increased by 7%. In the fall of 2022, The Dairy Alliance awarded smoothie grants to 17 high schools in Guilford County to begin offering smoothies during the 2022-2023 school year.
Schools still awaiting the program like Stokesdale Elementary School are eager to begin smoothies, with the elementary school deciding to pilot the smoothies and collect survey responses. After a trial run in November and December of 2022, it was clear students love the dairy-centric smoothies! Breakfast participation increased 20% and lunch participation increased 17% at Stokesdale Elementary School during that time.