Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- A Utah company that has been providing milk to the military for 20 years wants to give it to soldiers in Iraq, but a federal law and red tape apparently are keeping the product out.
"Why is the military using foreign farmers and producers when we're right here, ready to supply U.S. troops in Iraq with top-quality U.S. milk?" said Delores Gossner Wheeler, chief executive of Logan-based Gossner Foods.
The milk is described as ultra-high temperature, which needs no refrigeration. In Iraq, soldiers are drinking milk from a company based in Bahrain.
Federal law says the Pentagon must favor American-made goods, but the government has flexibility when it comes to buying supplies for a combat zone.
Gossner has a distributor in Metairie, La., Diversified Foods Inc. U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., contacted Pentagon officials, who said they would test Gossner milk for taste and shelf life.
The Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia could not explain why Gossner milk needs to be tested when it is already consumed by troops around the world, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday.
"This is all politics," Wheeler complained. "How do we get the word out so people will know what we're trying to do and ask, 'Why isn't something being done?"'
In a letter to Diversified Foods, Sgt. Daniel Oliver described the foreign-made milk in Iraq as "just plain nasty."
Diversified Foods shipped a case of Gossner milk -- whole, chocolate, reduced fat -- to him at no cost.
"You have made a lot of soldiers happy," Oliver replied. "We would like a catalog to place future orders. Once again, thank you for bringing a little home to us, sir."
------ Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
