Overview
- The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act lets National School Lunch Program schools offer whole and 2% milk alongside existing low-fat options at breakfast and lunch.
- The law permits flavored or unflavored, organic or conventional, and lactose-free milk, and it allows nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages.
- Schools must accept a parental note to provide a nondairy substitute, replacing the prior requirement for a physician’s statement.
- USDA and HHS must translate the new guidance into operational rules, with officials saying changes could start this fall though districts and suppliers may need more time.
- The shift, affecting roughly 30 million students, reverses 2010 standards and has support from dairy groups and some nutrition experts, while evidence on long-term health outcomes remains mixed.