Got milk -- containers? Schools seeking options amid shortage

Oct. 31—WATERTOWN — Area school districts are scrambling for alternatives due to a national shortage of half-pint milk containers.

The iconic boxy containers have been a school staple for decades, but now they're in short supply.

"We received a memo from Upstate Niagara in regards to a nationwide shortage of cardboard," said Kim Munn, food service director at Carthage Central School District.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc. is a Buffalo-based, farmer-owned cooperative. Eva Balazs, the cooperative's director of marketing, sent the Times a prepared statement regarding the shortage.

"Unfortunately, a significant industry supplier of half-pint milk cartons is experiencing a shortage, which is having an impact on their ability to fully supply school milk carton orders. Our company continues to seek alternative solutions for our customers and we are in frequent contact with all potential vendors to try to solve this issue swiftly," part of the statement reads.

Balazs did not share the name of the industry supplier.

Dairy Farmers of America is also watching the situation closely.

"Our team, along with the entire dairy industry, is working diligently to ensure we continue to supply milk to schools," DFA spokesperson Kim O'Brien said. "In working to mitigate disruptions, we are prioritizing half-pint production of our most popular items — 1% white milk and fat-free chocolate milk. We're also working to access and deploy our excess inventories to locations short on carton supplies as well as exploring additional manufacturing options with other carton suppliers."

O'Brien said that DFA's local teams are working closely with the schools that they serve to develop and execute contingency plans to keep milk available, including "looking at aseptic options, exploring alternative packaging and where resources are able even helping to mobilize lunch line support by pouring milk from gallon jugs in school cafeterias."

"It hasn't hit us yet, but we've got notification last week of the possibility of it starting soon," Munn said of the milk carton shortage.

The Indian River Central School District also expects the shortage to kick in as soon as Monday. Ann Easter, IRCS food service director, said a plan is in the works to deal with it.

"It's estimated we'll start seeing changes next Monday," she said. "Pretty much they're telling us they'll be able to supply us with half gallons or full gallons of milk. But not half-pints. "They can't get the material."

This is the first shortage of milk containers Easter has experienced in her 35 years of school food service work. "I never will say, 'I've seen everything,'" she said.

Munn and Easter said the districts will offer alternative beverages such as water and juice in addition to the limited source of milk. That's likely one reason why Upstate Niagara is seeking to reverse the situation "swiftly."

"Milk is an integral part of school meals due to its unique nutritional package," the cooperative's statement says. "One glass of milk delivers 13 essential nutrients that fuel children's growth, development and learning and we are doing everything we can to ensure milk remains available to schools."

"If we're able to get other milk products that may come along the way with shelf-stable milk, we'll definitely be looking into that," Easter said. "But it's kind of an ever-evolving situation."

Easter and Munn said schools in their district will have staff members pour milk for students from larger containers. They said chocolate milk won't be an option.

"When it comes to this situation, we'll just have white milk available," Munn said.

"It's going to be labor-intensive enough, just to obtain milk, let alone trying to mix the chocolate in," Easter said.

However, in its statement, Upstate Niagara Cooperative notes, "We have offered our customers half gallons of low fat and fat free white milks, and low fat chocolate milk to be poured into cups on site."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a memo to schools and state agencies "on allowable flexibilities for states experiencing milk supply chain challenges."

It notes that state agencies may allow program operators experiencing milk supply shortages to serve meals during an emergency period with an alternate form of fluid milk or without fluid milk.

Currently, USDA says that schools must offer fat-free and/or low-fat (1%) unflavored milk as part of school breakfasts and lunches. Schools may also offer fat-free and/or low-fat (1%) flavored milk as an option. "Either option can be sold as a competitive beverage, which is a drink sold to students on school grounds during the school day, on top of what's already provided as part of their school meal."

"If we can find whole milk, whatever we can find, that's suitable, and also if we want to use an alternative fluid such as water, juice," Easter said. "It has to be flexible because each district is unique in what their needs are."

But serving milk will become more labor intensive. Easter said that the IRCS district will be using plastic cups with lids when serving milk.

"You have to have at least one staff member pour the milk and then you have to get it out on the serving lines and then have the child be able to carry that to their table and open it without spilling it," Easter said.

"There's going to be some changes, and hopefully temporary," she added. "So, there will be some adjustments. But we're going to try to have milk for breakfast when they have cereal and things like that. It depends on what meal is being served."