Tenney, Delgado Urge NYC Not to Ban Chocolate Milk in Schools

Several members of Congress are concerned about how farmers would be adversely affected if chocolate milk no longer can be sold in New York City schools.

Representatives Claudia Tenney and Antonio Delgado are among nine lawmakers who have sent a letter urging New York City Mayor Eric Adams not to ban flavored milk from schools.

Politico recently reported Adams "has a problem with chocolate milk." The story noted he hasn't made "an aggressive push" to ban the beverage in city schools but indicated he was having discussions about such a move.

In a video made before he became mayor, Adams said "instead of serving our children beverages that set them up for a lifetime of health problems, we should be encouraging them to drink more water." Adams at the time noted the city's Department of Education wanted to ban chocolate milk.

The letter from the members of Congress said "over two-thirds of milk served in school is flavored." It said that "represents an essential way that kids get the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development."

The representatives said they are "committed to supporting the dairy farmers, producers, and agriculture partners across New York."

The letter maintained that studies have indicated reducing or eliminating flavored milk in school has led to an overall decrease in milk consumption.

In a tweet, Delgado said banning flavored milks in New York City schools "would limit kids' access to the nutrients within milk & negatively impact our upstate dairy farmers & their producers."

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.