Letter to Secretary Perdue, USDA - The Fair Treatment Of Greek Yogurt Is A Win-Win-Win For Students, Dairy Farmers, And The Burgeoning Greek Yogurt Industry

Letter

Dear Secretary Perdue,

We write to bring to your attention an ongoing issue that is affecting the role of strained, high-protein yogurt (i.e., Greek yogurt) in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Greek yogurt is a highly nutritious product that has become a popular healthy food staple for millions of Americans, including our students in the USDA Child Nutrition programs.

However, under the USDA policy for crediting the protein contribution of meat/meat alternates in the meal patterns, Greek yogurt is given inequitable credit for the protein it contributes compared to other protein food alternates, which have less protein and protein that is lower in quality. This discrepancy causes products like Greek yogurt to cost more to schools to be competitive with the other alternatives, compared to the amount of protein for which it is given credit. Therefore, we ask that you finalize work on updating the protein crediting system for the school meal programs, and issue a report to Congress as soon as possible, in order to ensure that highly nutritious products like Greek yogurt are treated fairly in the crediting process.
Greek Yogurt is a nutrient-dense product high in protein and low in sodium, with essential nutrients like calcium and potassium, which many children are lacking in their diets today. Greek yogurt is made by a different process than regular yogurts -- an authentic straining process that uses 3 cups of milk for every cup of yogurt, resulting in an excellent source of naturally high-quality protein. However, currently, Greek yogurt is receiving less credit in the school meal programs than other products that have less protein. This is because the current crediting system that USDA uses is outdated and doesn't accurately reflect the nutritional quality of Greek yogurt, which has been accepted in the school meals program since July 2015, and which is now 52 percent of the yogurt aisle.
As you may know, in the FY17 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that became law in May of 2017, Report language was included directing USDA to review the current system of protein crediting for the school meal programs and report back to Congress within 180 days with the results of the review. Although the November 2017 deadline passed, we appreciate the USDA request for information that was posted in December 2017, with comments submitted by February 2018. We therefore we urge you to direct all available resources to swiftly issue a report to Congress on the conclusion of the protein crediting system review with assurances that the inequity for Greek yogurt can be remedied by an efficient policy change. This will help ensure that we are using providing the most nutritious options to our students nationwide.

In closing, we look forward to your response on this matter and to continuing working with you and your staff to promote the health of our nation's school children through the USDA Child Nutrition programs.

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