Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law naming yogurt the official state snack, snubbing cider doughnuts and New York state apple muffins in the process.
The signing of the law by the governor came Wednesday, the same day of the second New York State Yogurt Summit. New York dairy farmers produced 741 million pounds of yogurt last year, more than any other state.
“This designation is a fitting recognition of the importance of this state”™s yogurt industry, which has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years, making New York the top yogurt producer in the nation,” Cuomo said.
New York accounts for 15 percent of all of the yogurt produced in the U.S., and dairy makes up half of the state”™s entire agricultural income.
The legislation made its way through the state Legislature this summer, after a lengthy debate that became fodder for late night talk show hosts David Letterman and Jon Stewart. The state Senate debated the bill for 45 minutes prior to a vote in May. Legislators analyzed the semantics of calling yogurt a snack when it could be eaten for breakfast, according to The New York Times. Other legislators questioned if other snacks like apple muffins were more deserving of the title.
Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, acknowledged the silliness of the debate and said that was exactly the point. Republicans lead the Senate in a coalition with five breakaway Democrats. Krueger, who during the debate questioned if the designation would be offensive to lactose intolerant New Yorkers, said Senate leadership rarely debated meaningful bills.
“We agree with Jon Stewart, David Letterman and the countless everyday citizens who have all said that this is a silly bill that doesn”™t actually do anything in the real world and isn”™t worth our legislature”™s time,” she said on her Facebook page. “While there”™s some irony in taking even more time to make that point, we thought it was a point that needed to be made.”
The yogurt industry has boomed in recent years with the popularity of Greek yogurt, which is thicker and uses more milk than regular yogurt. According to Cuomo”™s office, New York has led the country in yogurt production for two years and increased its output to 741 million pounds last year from 695 million pounds in 2012. Dairy farms employed an estimated 9,478 people, up from 7,749 in 2010, according to the governor”™s office.
After the first yogurt summit in 2012, Cuomo eased regulations on the state”™s dairy farmers including lifting a cap on the amount of dairy cows allowed before being subject to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations rules. The amount was raised from 199 to 299, which allowed the expansion of some midsize dairy farms in New York, Cuomo said.
The Senate bill proposing yogurt as the state snack came from Sen. Michael R. Ranzenhofer, an Erie County Republican. Ranzenhofer said all the credit should go to the fourth-graders of Byron-Bergen Elementary School who suggested the designation.
“From initially suggesting the idea to traveling to the state Capitol earlier this year, these students deserve high marks for the efforts to get this legislation signed into law,” he said.
The approval of the law, like the debate that preceded it, is the stuff of punchlines throughout the region. Neil Casey, columnist for Gothamist.com, argued that since yogurt is eaten for health reasons it cannot be a snack.
“Are we really kowtowing to fourth-graders on important issues like our snack food swagger with other states?” he said. “And if the dairy theme is really so important, couldn”™t we at least get ice cream or ”“ I can”™t believe I”™m writing this ”“ frozen yogurt?” (emphasis is his).
