KY school district pulls fresh milk after students complain of funny taste

Officials removed fresh milk from all Jefferson County Public Schools Wednesday due to concerns about the quality, officials in Kentucky’s largest school district said.

Some JCPS students at a few schools complained their milk “tasted funny” during breakfast Wednesday. A handful of cafeteria managers agreed, notified Nutrition Services officials in the district and opted to pull all fresh milk from all school cafeterias as a precaution, district officials said in a letter sent to parents.

“We are not aware of the milk at these few schools containing any contaminants. We believe this is simply a quality and taste issue,” the letter reads.

Fayette County Public Schools district spokesperson Miranda Scully said Wednesday there were no problems with the milk served in that district. FCPS uses a different supplier.

“We haven’t heard about any issues from other districts,” Kentucky Department of Education spokesperson Jennifer Ginn said Wednesday around 3 p.m.

JCPS spokesperson Mark Hebert provided the Herald-Leader with the letter sent to parents Wednesday.

The fresh milk, comes in the cartons that “look like little houses,” the letter said.

“There may have been some students that drank the milk in question during breakfast and the earliest lunches today. Most students were served shelf stable milk (whose cartons look like juice boxes), water or juice for lunch today,” the letter reads.

Families were told if their students complained of feeling ill, they would be sent to the school nurse.

“Our milk vendor is picking up the fresh milk and replacing it. All students will have other options available at their meals,” the letter reads. “We will err on the side of caution when it comes to the health and well-being of our students.”