The contentious debate between the dairy industry and anti-milk advocates who claim hormones in the beverage raise the risk of cancer has come to a head in the past year (see " Got Soy? " , News and Features, November 16, 2000). But recently, local entrepreneurs have come up with a new way to appeal to the milk-wary.

The brainchild of Mac Farms, Inc. - a deceptively named marketing firm - E-Moo is a milk-based, carbonated beverage that comes in three unlikely flavors: Cookies and Creme, Orange Cremecicle, and Bubble Gum. The new drink is aimed mostly at kids, who're far more prone to quench thirst with soda or juice than with calcium-rich milk. " We thought, let's take the healthy drink and make it fun and exciting to drink for children, " enthuses Mary Ann Clark, vice-president of technical services for the Burlington company, which has previously worked with pharmaceutical and health-food firms to develop or improve products. " We remembered that when you take a 7UP float or a milkshake, milk is fun, so we started experimenting. "

Using private funding, Mac Farms solicited the assistance of Joe Hotchkiss, a professor of food science at Cornell University, who has done significant research on the carbonation of milk as a way to extend its shelf life. Over the last year, the company and the college worked together on coloring, flavoring, and packaging systems, finally coming up with E-Moo, a small eight-ounce plastic bottle of the sparkly, sweet milk, which has up to three times the shelf life of its prosaic precursor.

Not that Mac Farms really wants the beverage to sit there for that long: the idea is getting people to drink as much as possible, as quickly as possible. " Their business has slowly been eroded by the soft-drink business, " says Hotchkiss. " Basically, this is a ploy to get kids to drink milk. "

But will kids really race to pound down the sparkly bubble-gum-flavored milk product and its companions? Beverage consultants aren't sure, but say the effort certainly can't hurt the milk-drinking cause. Gary Hemphill, the vice-president of research and consulting at Beverage Marketing Corporation, an industry research group, says teens in particulargravitate toward soft drinks, sports drinks, and bottled water in lieu of the calcium-rich dairy product. " If the milk industry can retain drinkers during their teen years, that'll be a good thing, " he says.

Unsurprisingly, the dairy industry is pretty pleased with this new product, which is expected to hit shelves June 1. " The milk-mustache group has expressed interest in having us join the milk-mustache campaign this year, " says Clark. " The regional dairy-promotions boards are also behind the product, so as soon as the product goes to the market, they're going to help out promoting. "

Assuming all goes well with E-Moo, salivating calcium-deficient adults can expect their own milky alternative beverages in the form of sports drinks, predicts Clark. Joe Hotchkiss, for one, is holding out for R-rated flavors. " Yeah, I might drink it, " the researcher concedes. " Not in bubble gum. Maybe coffee mocha, chai, spice ... "

Some aren't as enthusiastic about the new option, however. " It's unfortunate that the dairy companies are pushing this product on kids, " says Sean Gifford, the vegan-campaign coordinator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. " Kids would spit out their milk if they knew how the dairy cows suffer. " Of course, sipping E-Moo may cause them to do that anyway.

Issue Date: April 5 - 12, 2001