New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is adamant about banning chocolate milk in his public schools.
Adams, a vegan and health junkie, wants to give students options in terms of the nutrition available to them at school, but this is raising concern among New York dairy farmers. New York is one of the largest dairy producers in the U.S., and New York City schools are one of the largest customers of chocolate milk.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is sympathetic to the dairy farmers since she views school lunch programs as an agricultural issue. She even suggested that the lunch program in New York City be transferred from the State Education Department to the State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
In February, Adams announced that every Friday schools will have a vegan menu but there is still milk available.
Polls taken of New York City voters by the Morning Consult and the International Dairy Foods Association show that 79% of voters like low-fat flavored milk in schools. Adams wanted to incorporate non-diary milk products as options, but while New York produces soybeans, it mainly ends up in animal feed, making the issue a harder sell in a diary state.
