The state’s health and agriculture chiefs aren’t too sweet on the plan to ban chocolate milk in city schools.
New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball have fired off a letter to city Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza attacking his department’s plan for a white-milk-only policy that was first revealed by The Post last week.
“We are deeply concerned that this ban — coming at a time when access to local and nutritious foods to our children is vital to their wellbeing — will only compound the hunger issues we are trying to solve and compound the difficulties the dairy community is already experiencing,” the pair wrote.
Their letter noted that more than half of the city’s student population drinks chocolate milk, which has seen a reduction in sugar while maintaining the “nutrient-rich benefits of milk” with “no adverse effect on weight.
“We agree that interventions are needed to improve the diet quality and eating behaviors of our youth — but don’t believe that banning chocolate milk in our schools is the intervention to begin this process,” the commissioners wrote.
“The benefits of drinking any milk outweigh those of drinking no milk at all.
“Banning chocolate milk at a time when access to healthy nutritious foods is limited does nothing to support our children, to support our economy or to support our struggling dairy industry.”
Still, the letter from the two Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointees may not make much of a difference.
The state does not have any control over the DOE’s decision, and the letter only hopes to “encourage a re-evaluation,” a state source acknowledged, noting that the letter asks for Carranza’s “consideration of this request” before making a final decision.
But the New York Farm Bureau said the letter is proof that city educators need to rethink the proposed ban.
“There’s a reason we’ve been drinking milk for centuries — because it’s been shown to be nutritious, and it’s simply good,” spokesman Steve Ammerman said.
“The evidence supports that it is healthy for the students.”
A DOE rep insisted that “no decision has been made about chocolate milk,” adding, “We are reviewing the letter.
“Our priority is the health and well-being of our students, and every day, we offer a variety of healthy, delicious, and free meal options including dairy products.”