HARRISBURG – Legislation that allows whole milk to be served in PA schools is being re-introduced in Harrisburg. Mercer County Sen. Michele Brooks is circulating a co-sponsorship memo seeking support for her measure. She introduced the legislation last session, but failed to get it approved. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 put restrictive regulations on the consumption of whole milk in schools. In the first two years that the legislation was enacted, 1.2 million fewer students drank milk with their lunch, yet still had access to sugary drinks that offer no nutritional value. She says this not only has terrible health and nutrition impacts on children, but major economic impacts, especially in PA. The state has the 2nd most dairy farms in the nation and we are #7 in milk production nationwide. The dairy industry supports 52,000 jobs in the Commonwealth, and contributes $14.7 billion to PA’s economy.
SEN. MICHELE BROOKS