Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that dairy farms have been complaining recently about having to pay overtime wages to workers, the kind that grocery store employees get. Now they also want New York City not to ban chocolate milk because they say they will sell less of the dairy product. And they have Democrats such as Rep. Antonio Delgado and Republicans such as Assemblymember Chris Tague on their side. “It is critical that children have access to school meals that support their growth and wellbeing,” Delgado said in a statement. “I am deeply concerned by attempts to ban flavored milk from New York City Schools. This would limit access to the life-enhancing nutrients within milk and negatively impact our dairy farmers, producers, and agriculture partners across New York.” Delgado and other New York state members of the Congress have signed a letter objecting to the removal of chocolate milk from New York City schools. They include Republicans Elise Stefanik, John Katiko, Tom Redd, Claudia Teeney, Chris Jacobs, and L:e Zeldin and Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney. “Studies have shown that reducing or eliminating the availability of flavored milk in schools has led to overall decreased milk consumption and increased food waste,” the letter said. “In fact, a study of Oregon schools by Cornell found total daily milk sales declined by 9.9 percent when flavored milk was removed from the cafeteria and was associated with 6.8 percent fewer students eating lunch.” Tague agreed. “Cold, refreshing chocolate milk with a school lunch is a small, timeless joy that has carried students through the challenges of academia for decades,” Tague said in a statement. “The thought of taking this small treat from our children, along with significant revenue from our dairy farmers, is incredibly callous and reeks of nanny-statism.” The elected officials did not tout chocolate milk as better nutrionally for children, but instead focused on sales of milk for dairy farmers. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.