U.S. Senate Passes Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act

One day after the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry House unanimously advanced the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, the full Senate approved it. The bipartisan bill would allow for whole (3.25 percent) and reduced-fat (2 percent) milk to once again be served in school cafeterias nationwide.

It now heads to the U.S. House for consideration, where it is expected to pass. A similar bill in 2023 had overwhelmingly passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

Whole and 2 percent milk were removed from school meals programs beginning in 2012 as part of an effort to slow obesity in American kids that was based on science and nutrition advice that is now outdated. Research over the past decade has found that milk at all fat levels has a neutral or positive effect on health outcomes, ranging from obesity and diabetes to heart disease.

“We are advancing bipartisan legislation that will improve children’s access to milk and other healthy beverages through school lunches,” said Democratic Ranking Member Klobuchar of Minnesota. “This legislation is good for our kids and it’s good for our dairy producers — a win-win.”

Officially, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act:

• Allows schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to offer flavored and unflavored organic or nonorganic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk as well as nondairy beverages that meet the nutritional standards established by the USDA Secretary.
• Authorizes parents or legal guardians, in addition to licensed physicians, to provide a written statement for their student to receive a nondairy substitute for fluid milk at school.
• Excludes fluid milk from counting toward the requirement that the saturated fat content of a school meal be less than 10 percent of the meal’s total calories.

Industry leaders and many politicians have long rallied against this arbitrary ban, which was implemented during the Obama Administration.

Since these milks were banned from school meals menus more than a decade ago, school milk consumption and meal participation have declined, meaning children are consuming fewer essential nutrients. This is especially concerning considering underconsumption of milk and dairy products is prevalent among school-aged children, where between 68 percent and 94 percent of school-age boys and girls are failing to meet recommended levels of dairy intake per federal guidelines.

Recent national polling by Morning Consult, commissioned by the International Dairy Foods Association, shows 91 percent of parents serve their children whole or 2 percent milk at home, and 81 percent of them support Congress passing legislation to reinstate these options in school meals.

“Passage of this bipartisan bill moves us closer to ensuring students have access to the nutritious beverages they need for healthy growth. I’m proud of our collaboration to advance this commonsense solution to expand school milk options, encourage increased dairy consumption and support America’s hardworking dairy producers,” said Senate committee Chairman John Boozman of Arkansas.

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act was introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Peter Welch (D-VT), Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA).

“This is a win-win for kids and dairy farmers because the nutritional benefits of whole milk are now broadly known. By lifting the restrictions on whole and reduced-fat 2% milk in schools, kids have more access to important protein, calcium and vitamins. Because school milk accounts for almost 8% of fluid milk demand, it’s a significant market driver, too,” American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said.

“Restoring schools’ option to offer whole and reduced-fat milk will mean more schoolkids will get the essential nutrients they need,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “This commonsense legislation will help American children get back on solid nutritional footing. We’re grateful that both sides of the aisle can come together and agree on the importance of making informed, science-backed decisions that prioritize the health and future of our children.”