Milk Consumption is Declining Among Americans

According to a recent analysis by the US Department of Agriculture, fluid milk consumption in the US has decreased approximately 40 percent since 1970. The government organization reports that in 1970, the per capita consumption of milk was 8 ounces per day, but presently, the per capita rate is 4.8 ounces per day. The report notes that the declining trend can be attributed to people consuming less liquid milk as they progress in age. “As teenagers in 1977-78, Americans born in the early 1960s drank milk 1.5 times per day,” says the report. “As they grew older, they drank milk less often, consuming it on 0.7 occasions per day as young adults and 0.6 occasions per day in middle age.” The USDA’s Economic Research Service believes that the reduced milk consumption is also due to the increased number of beverage choices for consumers, including sports drinks, bottled water, and soft drinks.