CHENANGO COUNTY – In light of what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says was a successful outcome across four states, the pilot program to serve Chobani Greek style yogurt in school lunches will be extend into four additional states by the 2014-2015 school year.

From September to November, 2013, Chobani Greek style yogurt was made available in school cafeterias in New York, Idaho, Tennessee and Arizona as part of the USDA’s Greek yogurt pilot program. Chobani was awarded contract as the supplier in that program in July, thanks in part to the backing of United States Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, and Congressman Richard Hanna.

According to state representatives, the program has proven an effective way of providing a good source of protein for students while also supporting New York’s booming yogurt industry. Hopes are to incorporate the Chobani brand in tens of thousands of schools at the kick-off of the 2014 school year, meaning potentially good things in store for Chobani’s production facility in Chenango County.

“Greek yogurt like Chobani is packed with healthy protein that our schoolchildren deserve access to in their school lunches,” Gillibrand stated in a media release. “New York State is home to a strong and growing Greek yogurt industry. And when we connect Chobani to lunchrooms across the state and across the country, we can give our children better access to healthy, nutritious food, while strengthening New York’s own dairy industry.”