Wisconsin dairy farmers made news this past week because they were asked to dump their milk supply due to an oversupply of milk in the market. One Wisconsin dairy farmer estimates around 30,000 gallons per day are being dumped.
So, why are we still seeing milk limit signs up in grocery stores? Jenni Browning is the CEO of American Dairy Association Indiana, and she says she understands why some might be confused.
“While shoppers had cleared out the milk cases just a couple weeks ago when they made the mad dash to the store and really loaded up with all the essentials, that’s not really making up for the closing that you’re seeing of the restaurants and the schools.”
Browning says she’s unsure at this point if any Indiana dairy farmers have had to dump milk, though she says it’s a real possibility that they will.
“There’s about 7 percent of fluid milk that moves through schools. And then with food service, you think about cheese, and butter, and milk, and yogurt, just the things that they use throughout fast food and any restaurant. Just with cheese usage, it’s about 40%, so those are what is adding up to the dumping of the milk and the extra milk supply.”
A social media post from Indiana Dairy on Thursday is asking folks to reach out to them if they continue to see milk limit signs in grocery stores so they can reach out to let them know there isn’t a shortage of milk.
“We want shoppers to be able to purchase as much milk as needed. Again, we’re all going through this. It’s all something we’ve never seen before. So, I think it might just take a little bit of time for the limit signs to come down.”
Browning says the sign has come down at some grocery stores, mostly local and regional grocers. Many of the national-based retailers have to await direction from their national headquarters.
If you’d like ADAI to reach out to your local grocery store, send an email to Allie Rieth at Rieth@winnersdrinkmilk.com.