With recent House passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, attention now turns towards the Senate to take action. National Milk Producers Federation Senior Director of Government Relations and Head of Nutrition Policy Claudia Larson explains what’s next for the legislation in the Senate.
“Its own version of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act was introduced in June of this year by Senator Roger Marshall from Kansas and Senator Peter Welch from Vermont. There are ten additional Senate cosponsors, six Republicans, three Democrats and one independent, so we do know there is broad bipartisan support for this bill in the Senate. Now, whether or not the Senate picks up its own measure or picks up the House approved bill, we’re not entirely sure but hopefully we’ll see one of those two measures move and we can continue to advance this is important bill.”
Larson says the legislation can improve child nutrition by expanding the milk options schools can serve as part of breakfast and lunch programs.
“Milk is a nutrition powerhouse. Milk at all fat levels provides 13 essential nutrients, nutrients the kids need to grow and thrive, yet school-aged children and adolescents are not consuming these vital nutrients and we must provide kids with healthful options that they will choose to actually drink. So, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is a common-sense approach to address this under consumption of critical nutrients because it expands the options that schools can choose to serve to include two percent and whole milk.”
She says parents and children both prefer whole and two percent milk.
“By increasing access to whole and two percent milk, what we’re doing is we’re increasing kids access to the nutritious milk options that are more popular, they’re more commonly chosen. A recent survey of American parents actually demonstrates that eight in ten parents think that two percent and whole milk are the healthiest options for their kids, they’re choosing that for their children at home. And we believe by providing these healthy popular options at schools, we can continue to see kids consume and intake these vital nutrients.”
Larson says there are ways you can help ensure children have access to whole and two percent milk at school.
“One would be the email, call, write your senator asking them to support the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, hoping for them to advance either their version or the House approved version. Another way someone can become an advocate for whole milk would be to become involved in the dietary guidelines updating process, which is in the works right now online. You would just go to regulations.gov and then search for the 2025 dietary guidelines where you can be an advocate for whole milk and really encourage the dietary guidelines process to incorporate this newer science on the whole fat milk which demonstrates its health benefits. across all ages.”
Learn more at nmpf.org.