AG Ellison: Agreement will help districts afford school milk

Healthy school meal
St. Paul Public Schools Nutrition Services' example of a healthy school meal in April 2014. State Attorney General Keith Ellison said Tuesday that his office has reached an agreement with Dairy Farmers of America to help more than 40 Minnesota school districts buy school milk at affordable prices.
Liala Helal | MPR News 2014

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says his office has reached an agreement to help more than 40 school districts afford to buy milk for students through 2030.

Ellison said Tuesday the agreement with Kansas-based Dairy Farmers of America will make it easier for those districts to buy school milk at affordable prices for the next decade.

Last year, DFA bought a milk-processing plant in St. Paul that was owned by Agropur, a Quebec-based dairy co-op. Until then, the St. Paul facility and Kemps, owned by DFA, competed to supply milk to schools mainly in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Ellison alleged the acquisition would lessen competition in the Minnesota school milk market. DFA denied the allegations.

Under the agreement, starting next school year DFA’s bidding for those districts’ school milk sales will be capped at the price for last school year, with adjustments for market conditions.

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