Chobani Gets Exclusive Contract with School Lunch Program

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Public schools across America will soon offer Greek yogurt as a meat substitute in school lunches beginning this fall. Chobani, a manufacturer of Greek yogurt, officials announced Monday it had been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to supply the yogurt as part of the federal school lunch program. The USDA decided in April to include Greek yogurt as a permanent option in its school lunch program after classifying it as an approved meat substitute in 2013.

Chobani was selected as the exclusive provider after it successfully led a Greek yogurt pilot program over the past year, expanding the program from four to 10 states. Chobani, which has plants in New York and Idaho, leads the U.S. in Greek yogurt production.