Quantcast

Yogurt named New York’s official state snack

New York's official state snack may not even be a snack at all.
New York’s official state snack may not even be a snack at all. Photo Credit: D Dipasupil/Getty Images

The question on disgruntled New Yorkers’ minds today: Do we even consider yogurt a snack?!

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Wednesday making yogurt New York’s official snack, just in advance of the second New York Yogurt and Dairy Summit, which also begins Wednesday at Cornell University in Ithaca.

While yogurt’s very status as a snack is debatable, there’s no denying it’s a real money maker in the Empire State. In 2013 alone, New York generated 741 million pounds of yogurt, making our state the nation’s top yogurt producer.

While an apple (or big cupcake) would seem a more appropriate New York snack to many, the reasons for this designation seems to be financial, and of course, political. 

“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,” Governor Cuomo said in a press release. “We will continue to work with New York producers and dairy farmers to build upon this progress and further strengthen this critically important industry.”

Snackers who would rather chow down on a salty or sticky treat are not happy with this new legislation. Priobiotics are healthy and all, but nutritional value does not a good snack make. Gawker declared Governor Cuomo “little more than a dancing puppet for Chobani’s chalky, curdled agenda” while Gothamist claims that yogurt is very much “not a snack.” One commenter wrote “snacks should be sweet and/or salty and/or crunchy. This is none of those,” while another suggested pumpernickle sticks as our official munchy.

When yogurt was proposed as the official state snack this past May, the New York Times reported that state Senator Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, wondered if yogurt could count as a snack if it were consumed at breakfast time. A very good question indeed.