WASHINGTON, DC – In a joint letter to the USDA, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna are pressing Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reclassify Greek yogurt as a source of protein under the USDA’s MyPlate nutrition guidelines.

“Greek yogurt is packed with healthy protein and should be available to our children in schools,” Gillibrand said. “New York State is home to a strong and growing Greek yogurt industry. And when we connect these businesses to lunchrooms across the country, we can give our children better access to healthy, nutritious food, while strengthening New York’s own dairy industry.”

New York is home to several Greek yogurt plants, including the first and top rated Chobani, Inc. located in Chenango County. Alpina opened a new plant last year in Batavia and Muller Quaker Dairy is working to build a $206 million yogurt plant, also in Batavia.