New drinks for kids pour on nutrition to appeal to parents

The $90 billion beverage world is figuring out that parents will pay premiums for more nutritious drinks for their kids.

Every beverage maker seems to be leaping on board — from Pepsi to Snapple to Stonyfield Farm. But this isn't about creating soft drinks with less sugar. It's about drinks that could pass the parent test. It's also about sales growth. And it's about schools slamming the door on soft drinks.

It's no accident that last week, Land O'Lakes, the nation's largest dairy, began a limited rollout of 80 'N Sunny, a kid-targeted, low-fat milk and fruit juice blend. It has 80 calories per 8-ounce serving.

"I have a 10-year-old daughter," says Dave Haley, regional marketing director at Dean Foods. "The stuff she and her friends want to drink is such garbage." Target for the 80 'N Sunny line: 2-to-12-year-olds.

Next year, General Mills — which owns Go-Gurt squeezable yogurt — will begin selling Go-Gurt yogurt drinks. They'll be fortified with calcium and vitamins.

"This whole trend toward lower calories and healthier products is just at the starting point," says John Sicher, editor of trade publication Beverage Digest.

Two years ago, Stonyfield didn't make any drinks. Now, beverages are 20 percent of the company's business.

"I've been in this business 22 years," says CEO Gary Hirshberg. "For 20 years I've run a yogurt company. But now I'm running a yogurt and beverage company."

Two months ago, Stonyfield began selling organic Juice Smoothies made with yogurt. Earlier this year, it introduced YoBaby yogurt and milk drinks that target kids to age 4.

Others in the better-for-you fray:

• Dairy drinks. Pepsi and Coke recently expanded into milk-based drinks that target schools. Last year, Coke introduced its first dairy product, vanilla and banana Swerve, made from nonfat milk. Pepsi is testing Milk Chillers in chocolate, banana and strawberry.

Nestle just introduced Nesquik-flavored milk made from 2 percent milk instead of whole milk. It reduced fat by 38 percent and calories by 13 percent. It also sells a 1 percent version to schools, says Jane Lazgin, a spokeswoman.

• Juice drinks. Snapple last year introduced Snapple 100 percent Juiced! into schools in New York City. It's fortified with vitamins A and C and calcium. It's sold in cans in school vending machines.

• Better-for-you soft drinks. This summer, Cadbury Schweppes introduced 7Up Plus. It contains fruit juice, calcium and vitamin C and has 10 calories per serving. 7Up sales are up 6.5 percent since summer, spokesman Steven Jarmon says.

• Better-for-you mixes. Hershey Foods just introduced calcium-fortified chocolate syrup.

Nutritionists aren't sure that any of these are the answer, however. Some say the best drink for kids remains one that parents have the hardest time selling: water. "Juice is better than soft drinks," says Karen Anderson, a youth nutritionist for Coconino County, Ariz. "But water is the liquid of choice."