August 13, 2018

Wayne Grasela Sr. Vice President, Division of Food Services School District of 440 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19130

Dear Mr. Grasela:

As you may be aware, the United States Department of Agriculture has enacted an interim final rule that allows schools to offer additional milk options including low fat flavored milk. We join the Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health in encouraging the Philadelphia School District to take advantage of this opportunity to offer other milk products to students for breakfast and lunch.

The interim final rule regarding additional milk options was created in response to the reported reduction in milk consumption among young students. This decline is highly disconcerting considering children need a daily dose of vitamin D and calcium to maintain healthy bones. As children often spend a considerable part of their day in school, during which time they may consume both breakfast and lunch, the Philadelphia School District is in a unique position to positively impact the health of the children it serves by ensuring they receive nutritious meal options.

Milk is a healthy dietary staple that could provide students with up to 50 percent of their daily nutritional requirements. Milk also contains nine essential nutrients necessary to maintain general health and wellness. According to the National Dairy Council, these important nutrients include calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and riboflavin. For those reasons, we strongly urge the School District to take advantage of this rule change by offering healthy milk options during the school day.

We also encourage the District to utilize locally sourced Pennsylvania dairy when purchasing milk products for consumption in school. Pennsylvania serves as an agricultural hub, producing more than 10.8 billion pounds of milk annually. Many Pennsylvania dairy farms spend their money locally which in turn supports local businesses and their respective municipalities. Purchasing locally sourced dairy in Pennsylvania creates jobs, significantly benefits the commonwealth economically, and has a positive impact on local communities across the state.

As elected officials representing Philadelphia residents on the state level, we know that providing healthy milk options in the Philadelphia School District is a win-win opportunity to improve the health and wellness of children in Philadelphia while supporting an important economic engine in Pennsylvania. We hope that you will take advantage of the rule change and allow for the consumption of low fat flavored milk in Philadelphia’s schools.

Sincerely,

Sharif Street Larry Farnese Senator, 3rd District Senator, 1st District

Christine Tartaglione Arthur Haywood Senator, 2nd District Senator, 4th District

John Sabatina Senator, 5th District Senator, 7th District

Anthony Williams Senator, 8th District Representative, 169th District

Kevin Boyle Michael Driscoll Represenative, 172nd District Representative, 173rd District

Mike O’Brien Representative, 175th District Representative, 179th District

Brian Sims William Keller Representative, 182nd District Representative, 184th District

Maria Donatucci Jordan Harris Representative, 185th District Representative, 186th District

James Roebuck Vanessa Lowery Brown Representative, 188th District Representative, 190th District Joanna McClinton Representative, 191st District Representative, 192nd District

Pamela DeLissio Representative, 194th District Representative, 195th District

Emilio Vazquez Rosita Youngblood Representative, 197th District Representative, 198th District

Stephen Kinsey Jared Soloman Representative, 201st District Representative, 202nd District

Isabella Fitzgerald Representative, 203rd District cc: Superintendent of Schools, President of the School Board