At first glance, carton or bottled milk seems convenient. But cartons come with many consequences. According to a recent World Wildlife Foundation report, school food programs provide approximately 275 million half-pint carton servings of milk to students each day, resulting in packaging waste and milk waste if the carton is left unfinished. It’s estimated that 45 million gallons of milk is wasted each school year, roughly 32 cartons per student every year.

The report notes that, “This not only represents a loss of nutrition, but also the environmental and financial resources that go into producing, transporting, cooling, and storing milk. Milk waste from BMDs (bulk milk dispensers) is much lower; only 4.5 cartons per student— saving 248 gallons of water and 30 pounds of CO2e per student annually. That’s equivalent to almost 1.5 times the amount of water the average person consumes on a yearly basis and 33.8 miles driven by a gas-powered vehicle. With 49.5 million K-12 students, this would be the same as taking over 145,000 gas-powered vehicles off the road each year.” -World Wildlife Foundation

In short, bulk milk offers schools a practical pathway to lower their annual costs while also achieving environmental reductions in waste, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and energy use. Students prefer the flexibility to serve themselves only what they need, which helps to reduce waste and increase overall consumption of a key and nutritious staple of the NSLP.

How to Apply

Eligibility

• K-12 school districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program with an enrollment of at least 100 students per school site.
• Schools must have a dish machine to wash reusable cups, and be able to identify a bulk milk bib supplier in their area. See our national list of milk bib availability HERE. (*Note this is not a comprehensive list, if you do not see options in your area, reach out to your current milk and food suppliers to inquire about availability. We will continue to add to this map as more options become available).

Process

Apply by July 31. Approved schools will be notified of award and shipped grant packages in Fall 2023. Bulk Milk grants (approximately. $5,000 value) include the bulk milk dispenser, dispenser stand, reusable cups, dish racks, marketing materials & training resources.

As a managing partner of Bulk Milk, CAF helps school districts through the application, and fulfillment processes. For questions regarding bulk milk, please contact us at bulkmilk@chefannfoundation.org