Greek Yogurt to Go National in K-12

Mike Buzalka

The USDA has officially added Greek yogurt to its list of items available in the school lunch program nationwide starting in the fall of 2015, according to a press release from the office of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York. The product was initially piloted in four states in the fall of 2013 with total orders of nearly 200,000 pounds. The pilot was expanded to a dozen states the following spring, where the product proved popular enough to warrant it making it available to the rest of the country.

"USDA's decision to include Greek yogurt permanently in their nationwide school lunch program is a nutritional benefit to our kids, an affordable option for local school boards and a boon to New York dairy farmers and yogurt producers,'' Schumer said in a statement. "It will increase demand for Greek yogurt across the country, while at the same time providing another healthy food option in the lunchroom."