Serving Milk in Bulk Instead of Single-Serve Containers Eliminates a Top Source of School Food Waste
BOULDER, Colo., November 10, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) announced today that it has awarded 43 grants to 18 K–12 school districts across the U.S. as part of its Bulk Milk program. Grantees will receive the equipment, materials, and training resources needed to implement a bulk milk serving system.
Milk is one of the biggest sources of food waste at schools across the country. USDA guidelines for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs require schools to offer milk with every lunch or breakfast served. Most schools serve milk in either a single-use carton or plastic bottle.
“With more than 31 million lunches and 13 million breakfasts served every day, year after year, milk packaging waste is staggering,” CAF CEO Mara Fleishman said. “Food waste also comes from the milk students don’t drink. With bulk milk systems, students can pour themselves what they want.”
Approximately 45 million gallons of milk is wasted at schools each year. Wasted milk means the environmental and financial resources that went into producing, transporting, cooling, and storing the milk are wasted, too. With a bulk milk system, schools could save 30 pounds of carbon dioxide per student — the equivalent of taking 145,000 gas-powered vehicles off the road each year.
While eliminating a top source of school food waste is a primary goal of CAF’s Bulk Milk program, there are other benefits. Purchasing milk in bulk costs less than purchasing milk in individual containers. Bulk milk also stays at a constant cold temperature, increasing shelf life. Less packaging also means less waste disposal costs.
“Switching to bulk milk saves schools money,” Fleishman said. “We’re encouraging schools to put these savings toward switching to serving organic milk that, if possible, is produced locally. These changes help protect students’ health and the environment from exposure to agricultural chemicals.”
Bulk Milk grants have been awarded to the following districts: St. Michael Indian School, AZ; Pajaro Valley Unified School District, CA; Los Gatos Union School District, CA; Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, CA; Durango School District, CO; Greeley-Evans School District 6, CO; Hanover School District No. 28, CO; Lake County School District R-1, CO; Caroline County Public Schools, MD; Jackson Public Schools, MI; Ithaca City School District, NY; Dryden Central School District, NY; Ephrata Area School District, PA; Trenton Special School District, TN; Franklin Special School District, TN; Austin Independent School District, TX; Windham Central Supervisory Union, VT; Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools, WI.
Early adopters of bulk milk dispensers have seen impressive results. Canby School District in Oregon eliminated approximately 50% of its school lunch waste volume. Meanwhile, Bluestone Elementary in Virginia saw a 91% reduction in milk packaging waste volume when it moved to using a bulk milk dispenser.
Foundational funding for Chef Ann Foundation’s Bulk Milk program is provided by the Posner Foundation and Life Time Foundation.
Source: Chef Ann Foundation
