Got WHOLE Milk? Congress gives thumbs-up to bill returning whole milk products to schools

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Congress has passed legislation that will bring back whole milk products to schools around the country.

In November, the ‘Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act’ was approved in the U.S. Senate before its passage through the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday.

The bill will now head to the desk of President Donald Trump.

This revised legislation dismantles an Obama era nutrition policy in 2012, which restricted whole milk options for school students. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) says that move hurt Upstate New York dairy farmers.

“I was proud to support the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in the Senate to bring more milk options to school cafeterias across America. This is a win-win for Upstate NY dairy farmers who can sell their products and kids across America who will once again be able to drink the delicious, nutritious milk they want at lunchtime,” Schumer said.

“This is a significant result of over a decade of hard work - I have been proud to co-lead and champion this legislative effort,” North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) added.

According to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Dairy statistics, there are nearly 3,000 dairy farms in New York that produce over 16.1 billion pounds of milk annually, making New York the nation’s fifth largest dairy state.

According to Senator Schumer’s office, schools participating in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) national school lunch and breakfast programs have not been permitted to serve whole milk since 2012, when they aimed to align school meal menus with the DGAs, which proposed limiting fat consumption in children.

However, more recent analyses of existing scientific studies suggest that children who drink whole milk could have lower levels of obesity.

More varieties and options will increase the amount of milk students will drink, allowing them to benefit from the nutritional content of numerous milk varieties.

Dairy cow image via New York Department of Agriculture and Markets.