Senate Approves Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act

WASHINGTON – Leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry celebrated Senate passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which restores access to whole and reduced-fat milk in school cafeterias and expands options for nutritious nondairy beverages.

“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,” Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) said.

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

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

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 towards the requirement that the saturated fat content of a school meal be less than 10 percent of the meal’s total calories.

Stakeholders applauded Senate passage:

“The long wait is nearly over! We’re closer than ever to bringing whole milk back to schools! Senate passage is a watershed moment for children’s health and for the dairy farmers, processors, parents, and nutrition advocates who have fought for decades to restore whole and 2% milk to school meals. Whole and 2% milk are wholesome, nutritious options that kids love, and today’s passage gets us one step closer to restoring them to American schools,” said Michael Dykes, President and CEO of International Dairy Foods Association. “IDFA is deeply grateful to Sens. Roger Marshall and Peter Welch for leading the bill and to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chair John Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar for shepherding it through the Senate process. The bipartisan momentum behind this bill is undeniable. We look forward to working with Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Rep. Kim Schrier and the 116 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House to advance the Senate-passed bill to the President without delay.”

“America's dairy farmers and their cooperatives are elated by today's Senate passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and the opportunity to serve children by allowing schools to once again offer whole and reduced-fat milk under federal meal programs,” said National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Gregg Doud. “We appreciate that Senators on both sides of the aisle recognize the critical role dairy plays in supporting the health and future of schoolkids, a need which America's dairy producers stand ready to meet. We're especially grateful to Chairman Boozman and his staff for their strong advocacy in moving this bill through committee and onto the floor. Their leadership helped make this achievement possible.”

“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. Many thanks to the bipartisan leadership from Sens. Welch and Marshall as well as that from Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar for getting the bill across the finish line in the Senate. I urge the House to act quickly to get it to President Trump’s desk,” American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “This vote follows letters from AFBF to the president and Congress that, among other priorities, urged for the restoration of whole milk in schools to ensure children have access to nutritious dairy products. The availability of whole milk in schools is a step toward helping the struggling agricultural economy. We look forward to working with Congress and President Trump to advance priorities that benefit families and America’s farmers.”

The committee unanimously advanced the bill to the Senate floor in June following an April hearing with nutrition science experts and school food service administrators who described the need for school-aged students to increase their calcium intake and the important role of the NSLP in helping achieve this goal.