ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Lawmakers are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the nationwide milk carton shortage impacting institutions in the Rochester area.

In late October, the Rochester City School District and others announced they would temporarily stop offering milk in the lunchroom because of the shortage. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to the USDA calling on them to ensure that New York State’s more than 3,200 dairy farmers have the technical support they need to get through the carton shortage. He also wants the USDA to work with the milk carton industry to find creative solutions to get milk in the lunchrooms and to determine the cause of the shortage.

New York is the country’s fifth largest state for producing diary with 15.66 billion pounds of milk in 2022. While there is no shortage of milk, a supply chain problem of cardboard cartons is impacting farmers’ ability to get milk to school cafeterias, hospitals, nursing homes, and more.