Whole milk is set to return to school cafeterias across the United States after President Donald Trump signed a bill overturning Obama-era restrictions on higher-fat milk options. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which cleared Congress last autumn, allows schools participating in the National School Lunch Programme to serve whole and 2% milk alongside the skim and low-fat options that have been mandatory since 2012.
Non-dairy alternatives such as fortified soy milk may also appear on menus, with the new law requiring schools to offer a non-dairy option if a student provides a note from a parent, rather than a doctor, citing a dietary restriction. The change could take effect as early as this autumn, although some schools may need time to assess demand and adjust supply chains.
The move reverses provisions of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, which aimed to reduce childhood obesity by limiting saturated fat and calorie intake. However, nutrition experts and the dairy industry have argued that whole milk is a nutritious option that has been unfairly vilified, with some studies suggesting children who drink whole milk may be less likely to develop obesity than those who consume lower-fat alternatives.
The new law also exempts milk fat from federal requirements that saturated fats constitute less than 10% of calories in school meals. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described the legislation as a fix to Michelle Obama's 'short-sighted campaign to ditch whole milk', while Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr called it a 'long-overdue correction to school nutrition policy'.
