Bids Sought for Greek Yogurt in Schools

News EditorYogurt

greek yogurtThe U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking bidders to supply Greek yogurt for the National School Lunch Program in New York and three other states as a pilot program for the 2013-14 school year.

Schools in Arizona, Idaho and Tennessee will also participate in the experiment, which is open to Greek yogurt suppliers anywhere in the country.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. announced in January he successfully petitioned the USDA to experiment with the use of Greek — or strained — yogurt, which has more protein than the regular yogurt that’s already in use by schools.

The USDA is asking vendors to bid on supplying 4-ounce and 32-ounce containers.

Two of the four states — New York and Idaho — are major producers of Greek yogurt.

According to Schumer, if the pilot program is cost effective, it could be expanded nationwide.

Source: lohud.com, Brian Tumulty, Washington Bureau