Acceptability of Soy Milk as a Calcium-Rich Beverage in School Children in New York City Public Schools
1 other identifier
observational
2,500
1 country
6
Brief Summary
NYC Public Schools is testing offering soy milk alongside dairy milk on the lunch line for all students during the month of May at select school sites to understand:
- Whether students choose and drink soy milk
- Whether offering soy milk can reduce milk waste
- The potential environmental, nutrition, and cost impacts
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for all trials
Started May 2026
6 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
May 7, 2026
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
May 12, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
May 19, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
May 1, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 1, 2027
May 19, 2026
May 1, 2026
12 months
May 12, 2026
May 12, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Acceptability of Soy milk
With the results, this will inform the school system with information about expanding access to soymilk and we aim to publish the results to inform other food service staff across the United States about the acceptability of soy milk in school lunch programs.
4 weeks
Secondary Outcomes (1)
Measurement of how much cow's milk and soymilk was drank and how much was "taken"/sold during the pilot study.
4 weeks
Study Arms (1)
Elementary, Middle and High School Kids
The pilot will include a variety of elementary, middle, and high schools that opt into the program and they will be grades K-12 and ages 5-18.
Interventions
In the spring and fall of 2026, we aim to test the acceptability of soy milk over a four-week period of time in 11 New York City Public Schools. Leading up to the intervention, we will take baseline measurements of cow's milk, both sales and amount of beverage consumed. During the 4-week intervention, there will be taste tests at each school and measurements of consumption of both cow's milk and soy milk. At the end of the intervention, we will measure consumption of both cow's milk and soy milk.
Eligibility Criteria
Elementary, middle, and high schools children that opt into the program and they will be grades K-12 and ages 5-18.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicinelead
- Friends of the Earthcollaborator
- Coalition for Healthy School Foodcollaborator
- Chilis on Wheelscollaborator
- Office of Food and Nutrition Services of NY City Schoolscollaborator
Study Sites (6)
Maspeth
Elmhurst, New York, 11373, United States
PS244
Flushing, New York, 11355, United States
Beacon HS
New York, New York, 10036, United States
PS16
Staten Island, New York, 10301, United States
PS369
The Bronx, New York, 10454, United States
Vertex Academy
The Bronx, New York, 10472, United States
Related Publications (3)
Students' Willingness to Purchase Vegan Menu Items in the National School Lunch Program. Jill Eckart, BA, Kathryn A. Strong, MS, RD, Darlene K. Moppert, MS, RD, Neal D. Barnard, MD. Florida Public Health Review, 2010; 7, 64-69.
BACKGROUNDImplementation of Vegan Entrées in a Washington, D.C. Elementary School. Flores, Rosendo; Eckart, Jill; Nash, Katie; Kwitowski, Edward. Journal of Child Nutrition & Management, v43 n2 Fall 2019.
BACKGROUNDReilly JK, Lanou AJ, Barnard ND, Seidl K, Green AA. Acceptability of soymilk as a calcium-rich beverage in elementary school children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006 Apr;106(4):590-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.010.
PMID: 16567156BACKGROUND
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Jill Eckart
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- ECOLOGIC OR COMMUNITY
- Time Perspective
- OTHER
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
May 12, 2026
First Posted
May 19, 2026
Study Start
May 7, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
May 1, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
December 1, 2027
Last Updated
May 19, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-05
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share