Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik announced a win for dairy farmers in Upstate New York and the North Country after New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ announced a delay in his decision to possibly ban chocolate milk in schools for now.
“A temporary hold on the decision to ban chocolate milk in schools, thanks to our bipartisan efforts, is a win for Upstate New York farmers,” Stefanik said. “But make no mistake, any effort of Mayor Adams to ban chocolate milk and replace it with vegan juice is an absolute non-starter and will be opposed by parents, families, kids, and New Yorkers. I will continue to lead the effort to protect real dairy products in schools for the sake of our kids.”
Throughout her advocacy, Stefanik has pointed out that over two-thirds of milk served in school is flavored and is an essential way that kids get the necessary dairy nutrients they need for healthy growth and development.
In his response letter to Stefanik and her colleagues’ bipartisan advocacy, Adams wrote, “In the interim, we are not making any determinations about chocolate milk. At the discretion of the school principal, individual schools may choose to remove flavored milk from their menu as long as they continue to offer milk with every meal in accordance with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.”
In light of Mayor Adams’ proposal to ban flavored milk in New York City schools, Stefanik joined her colleagues in sending a letter to Adams calling on him to abandon this proposal. Stefanik also introduced the Protecting School Milk Choices Act to ensure schools participating in the National School Lunch Program offer students at least one flavored milk option.
