POLL: Got Adult Chocolate Milk? Not in Iowa.
Would the 40-proof ready-to-drink chocolate milk be a sure-fire hit with consumers? Or would it be a dangerous and misleading product that could easily be consumed by children? You decide in this Patch Poll.
Iowa's Alcoholic Beverages Commission last month refused to allow Adult Chocolate Milk, a popular new product that appeals to women, to be sold in Iowa.
The commission cited the product's old-fashioned milk bottle appearance, its marketing, which focuses on childhood nostalgia of chocolate milk, and the fact that its label does not clearly indicate it's 20 percent vodka.
Tonya Dusold, a spokeswoman for the Alcoholic Beverages Division, said the commission was concerned about the risk of underage consumption of the product.
"It blurs the distinction between an alcoholic beverage and a nonalcoholic product. Chocolate milk is not a product that normally contains alcohol," she said, noting that bottles could be purchased by adults without knowing there is alcohol in them.
"What's to stop my 6-year-old from going in the frig and saying 'Mmm, chocolate milk.' It's not clearly marked." said Dusold.
The product has been getting a lot of buzz as leading a trend toward "ready-to-drink" alcoholic beverages that women like.
A press release in July notes that the small Adult Beverage Company was formed in 2009 by two working moms who marketed it through Facebook. In just over seven months, its distribution grew from four to 40 states and the company grew 200 percent quarter-to-quarter.
The product is sold in local liquor stores and major retailers such as Costco, Kroger and Sam's Clubs in other states.
Megan VerHelst
9:46 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I'm curious as to why this drink is targeted at women - nothing about the packaging jumps out and screams, "you're a woman - drink me!"
Anne Carothers-Kay
9:53 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I think it sounds yummy and convenient. And I'm always for a drink that's a little sweet. Probably more women feel that way than men. But who doesn't like chocolate milk?
Jessica Miller
10:38 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Well you can buy Chocolate wine here. I don't care for it myself.
Stephen Schmidt
10:45 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
It's legal to buy eggnog with alcohol in it is it not? I fail to see the difference with this.
Jody Gifford
11:40 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I do like chocolate milk but not mixed with booze. I don't see why people would get all up-in-arms by not having this one item at their fingertips. There are many other options.
Scott Raynor
11:51 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The government has no place in regulating the delicious chocolate industry, in my opinion.
megan
11:54 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
If someone's child really thought this was regular chocolate milk and decided to drink it, they would probably get about a half a sip in before they realized it didn't taste as good as regular chocolate milk, and spit it out. I don't think vodka is something many children have acquired a taste for.
Also, most parents keep their alcoholic beverages out of reach of the kids anyway, or warn them not to drink it if it is in the fridge or something.
Jessica Miller
12:05 pm on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Yeah Megan that might be the true danger. I remember finding baker's chocolate hidden in a cupboard and wondered how my mother could have hidden it from me. I took a big bite and spit it right back out. But a lot of alcoholic beverages could be mistaken for other things like juice or koolaide, etc.
Jody Gifford
12:07 pm on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Megan, you grossly underestimate children. You can tell a child anything you want and "No, don't drink that," is a good start but in my experience, most will do the opposite. If this bottle was in my fridge and my kids even thought that it was chocolate milk, they would do what they could to get to it. As far as spitting it out, sure, they might but they also might not. Children, especially young ones, lack common sense despite constant parental guidance. That's just their nature. I think bottling this with a label that still says, "chocolate milk" sends the wrong message to kids, particularly early readers. My 5 year-old can sight read the word milk and she could easily figure out that it was chocolate milk. She does not, however, know the word adult or what that means in regards to her.
I'm not opposed to the drink, I'm sure it's great, but why package it so ambiguously? Put it in a different bottle, call it something else, whatever. I think that's the real issue here.
Stephen Schmidt
3:39 pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011
Comment deleted. No profanity in comments please.