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New York State Departments of Agriculture & Markets and Education Working Collaboratively to Support New York Dairy Industry and School Districts During Nationwide Paperboard Shortage

November 3, 2023 - from the NYSED:

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYS AGM) and the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) today reiterated their actions and outreach to support New York’s dairy industry and schools during the nationwide shortage of packaging paperboard. The supply chain disruption has created a challenge for school milk packaging across the US as well as other institutions.

SFAs are allowed to serve and claim meals during the emergency period by:

• pouring milk from larger containers into individual cups,
• offering one type of milk instead of a variety,
• offering an alternate form of fluid milk such as low-fat or fat-free lactose-free milk or reduced-lactose fluid milk, or
• as a last resort, not offer fluid milk altogether.

The Department also advised that juice cannot be offered in place of the milk component. SFAs must still adhere to the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program meal requirement that no more than half of the fruit or vegetable offerings may be in the form of juice.

Milk suppliers sour over carton shortage

November 3, 2023 - from the Packaging Dive:

"A gable-top carton supply chain snag has milk suppliers scrambling for alternative carton sources. If it continues, the shortage could result in suppliers dumping milk, higher consumer dairy prices and schools that struggle to meet federal nutrition requirements.

"Customers report difficulty in procuring 8-ounce, or half-pint, cartons as well as 4-ounce cartons. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service acknowledged in an Oct. 25 memo that some schools were having trouble getting their supplies of milk due to supply chain issues, highlighting that it is a packaging issue and not a milk issue.

"The problem could become more widespread and affect grocery store supplies; anecdotal reports indicate some areas already are experiencing this.

In grocery stores, you can still get the plastic bottles and different sizes.

"n recent weeks, news of the milk carton trouble initially trickled in from schools, dairies and others on the East Coast, and the International Dairy Foods Association said via a Nov. 3 email that “supply challenges are very localized.” However, the California Department of Education also issued a notice about the situation, and some national media reports already are calling this a nationwide problem.

"Some point to packaging manufacturer Pactiv Evergreen as the problem’s source, but dairy producers say they can’t get answers about exactly what’s going on or when business will return to normal. Pactiv Evergreen did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication.