Schumer: USDA to solicit proposals for 12-state Greek-yogurt program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this Thursday will begin soliciting proposals from companies that want to provide Greek yogurt as part of the USDA’s school-lunch program in 12 states.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) made the announcement in a news release distributed last week.

The Democrat is urging New York Greek yogurt producers to apply. They include Norwich–based Chobani, Inc.; Miami, Fla.–based Alpina Foods, which operates a yogurt plant in Batavia in Genesee County; and Luxembourg–based Fage, which operates its U.S. facility in Johnstown in Fulton County.

The USDA’s program represents a “great opportunity” for the producers to send their goods to new regions, to grow their business, and to show the entire country what Greek yogurt is all about, Schumer said in the news release.

“These Greek yogurt producers support jobs throughout our state, in dairy farms from the Finger Lakes to the Hudson Valley; so having one of our local producers selected for this pilot would help the dairy industry and our entire economy, all while providing a high-protein, nutritious snack for our kids,” said Schumer.

Schumer in July announced that Chobani and Buffalo–based Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. had been selected to provide Greek yogurt to seven states for one month as part of the program.

The program will run from September through next June. The USDA will select one or multiple vendors to provide Greek yogurt, according to Schumer’s office.

The pilot program, which Schumer announced in early March, now includes 12 states — New York, Arizona, Idaho, Tennessee, California, Iowa, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and Mississippi.

Schumer had “urged” the USDA to expand the program to additional states, as the senator would like the department to “permanently” add Greek yogurt to its school-lunch program.

His push for the expansion followed news in January that schools that had participated in an initial three-month, pilot program had consumed 200,000 pounds and $300,000 worth of Greek yogurt.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com