Milk carton shortage impacts schools across New York, could last into 2024

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Milk carton shortage impacts schools across New York, could last into 2024

Abigail Connolly, 4 hours ago

A milk carton shortage is impacting school districts nationwide, including those in central New York, making it difficult for districts to serve milk to students.

A shortage of pint-sized milk cartons is making it difficult for school districts to serve milk to students. Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University, said this issue started when paper factories started to go out of business due to COVID-19.

“During COVID, a lot of the schools weren’t in session and so there really wasn’t any need for milk cartons,” Penfield said. “So that was one part of the supply chain and then the actual carton producers started to go out of business and started to close down facilities.”

Central New York State Sen. John Mannion called on the state education department to ensure students have access to milk in schools. The education department released guidance this week on serving milk in schools including pouring milk from larger containers into individual cups, offering one type of milk instead of a variety, with a last resort of not offering fluid milk altogether.

{snip}

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Ice cream would be popular /nt

[James48]

2. Gee- what did they do before milk came in paper 1 pint cartons?

Who knows? I bet the kids back then starved to death.

[DownriverDem]

3. Before cartons

there were small glass bottles.

[zeusdogmom]

4. I remember those and the sound as the janitor plopped a crate of the bottles on the floor outside the classroom door

We had a milk break every morning - sometimes with a cookie or cracker. No treat if the assigned person didn’t bring in the goodies. Graham crackers were a whole lot better with milk than saltines. The pasteurized only milk came from the creamery across the street from school and the milk itself from local cows. Yep, our little school was way ahead it it’s time in the “locally sourced” movement. Not really - just the way we did things in the mid 1950’s

With glass bottles you could see if the cream had risen to the top or if the bottle on your desk was a little beyond its prime ie lukewarm and curdled. 🤢🤮 Of course the rule for milk break and the lunch room was “eat and drink all of it.” No exceptions. I do not drink milk to this day.

[Warpy]

5. I wish that had happened when I was in school

I've been lactose intolerant since I was a little kid. I'd have been in heaven without that shit forced on us, mostly because they'd started to fortify it with Vitamin D in the early 50s. I preferred the cod liver oil. It didn't give me the runs.

Why the fuck couldn't they fortify something else, like the sugary kids' cereals? I used to like those dry, as a snack.