The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) can once again offer whole milk and 2% milk to students. Why does this matter?
Previously, schools participating in the NSLP were required to only serve milk that was fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. Additionally, schools could only offer nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk upon request.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 modifies these restrictions and permits schools to offer students expanded fluid milk options. Effective immediately, schools participating in the NSLP may offer students at lunch the following fluid milk options: whole, reduced-fat (2%), low-fat (1%), and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk, and nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the USDA nutritional standards for fluid milk substitutes. Fluid milk may be unflavored or flavored and nonorganic or organic options.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on President Trump signing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law.
“The commonsense, bipartisan bill ensures children will have access to important vitamins, protein, and other nutrients while supporting dairy farmers who need access to expanded markets for their product.
“America’s farmers as a whole are struggling with high expenses that outpace income. Finding a solution that benefits everyone without creating extra costs for taxpayers is innovative and a sign of good government. Farm Bureau is committed to working with the administration to find more solutions to keep farmers in business and increase affordability for America’s families.”
But more importantly, the new law allows parents to have more control over what their children are getting through the school lunch program. In December, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) issued a news release reiterating the importance of providing more options for families within the school lunch program. They noted, “Nutrition science has evolved in the past decade to show neutral or positive benefits of full-fat dairy foods such as whole milk, including less weight gain, neutral or lower risk of heart disease, and lower childhood obesity. Learn more about the importance of milk—especially whole and 2% milk—in the diets of healthy children at www.wholemilkforkids.com.”
Quoting the wholemilkforkids.com website: “School meals are the most nutritious meal any American will eat, according to researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. They are critical for ensuring children meet DGA recommendations for healthy dairy. This is especially the case for low-income children who receive 77% of their daily dairy milk consumption at school. When children do not drink milk at school, they miss out on a key opportunity to consume milk's unique nutrient profile and benefit from its positive impact on growth, development, healthy immune function, mental health, and overall wellness. Ensuring the 30 million children who participate in school meals programs have access to the nutritious milk options that meet their dietary preferences and requirements will help them benefit from the many health benefits that milk has to offer.”