SOY AND RICE MILK IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW! THE SPECIAL NUTRITION PROGRAM (SNP) has extended the comment period regarding adding fortified soy and rice milk to the school lunch program. Word from the inside is that calls/faxes waned during November and December and since THE SNP will be making a decision relatively soon, more calls are needed!  (Inside word also has it that the SNP is a little "confused" about soy and rice milk and are starting to have second thoughts about including them....SO, polite and informative calls NOW are VITAL! (Please note:  Do not ask SNP to eliminate milk....as much as we would like to make that happen, we'll be shooting ourselves in the foot if we ask for this at this point.) ___________________________________________________ The SPECIAL NUTRITION PROGRAM, part of the FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, under the USDA, is still taking comments about adding fortified soy and rice milk alternatives to the public schools' food programs. Once the SPECIAL NUTRITION PROGRAM hears from us (and unfortunately, from others like the dairy industry too), they will draft a legislative proposal for Congress asking Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Acts to hopefully include milk alternates. Please call and fax Peter Murano, information included below, to support adding fortified soy and rice milk to the food programs in our public schools. (If we don't accomplish this now, it might be another 3 or more years before we get another chance...we are currently so close to reaching this goal that it would be a shame to let it slip through our fingers! Peter Murano, Associate Deputy Administrator Special Nutrition Program USDA Food and Nutrition Service 3101 Park Center Drive Room 510 Alexandria, VA  22302 ph.: 703 305 2052 fax: 703 305 2782 back to neckdeep.net