A bill that would allow schools to offer whole milk in school cafeterias passed the state house and is now on its way to the senate.
The bill would allow Pennsylvania School Districts to purchase PA-produced whole milk for school lunch programs. In 2010, federal regulations banned the whole milk from school lunch menus as a means to combat childhood obesity. Since then, schools have been able to offer 1% or Skim Milk under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
The bill has the support of State Representative Jim Struzzi, who said that dairy farmers are facing tough times and “need all the help we can give them.” He says that production numbers for whole milk are increasing along with demand in the northeast part of the country.
Struzzi also put his support behind another dairy-related bill, as he approved House Bill 223, which creates Keystone Opportunity Dairy Zones to help locate dairy processing plants in Pennsylvania. The bill would provide tax exemptions, tax abatements and tax credits for plants that wish to set up shop in these zones, much like a traditional Keystone Opportunity Zone. This bill is also on its way to the Senate.
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