Soon, I will introduce legislation to establish a pilot program to bring whole milk dispensers into schools across Pennsylvania.

With the passage of the federal Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are now permitted to serve a variety of milk options including whole milk. This legislation will direct the PA Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Center for Dairy Excellence to administer a pilot program which will provide grants to schools to purchase bulk dispensers and other delivery systems to bring milk to schools across the Commonwealth.  This bill also stipulates that all milk must be locally sourced by Pennsylvania farmers.  

This legislation will not only help students gain the nutritional advantages that whole milk has to offer, but it will decrease packaging waste. According to a recent study by the World Wildlife Fund, schools that have implemented these dispensers report considerable savings and environmental benefits, citing a middle school in Marion County, Oregon which reduced its milk waste by 83% within a year. Bluestone Elementary School in Virginia saw a 91% decrease in packaging waste.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation.