Push for Bill Allowing schools to Serve Whole and 2% Milk
A bill was approved Tuesday by the House Education and Workforce Committee in a 26-13 vote. “We have seen students opt out of consuming milk altogether if they don’t have access to a variety that they enjoy,” Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R.-Pa.), chair of the House Ag Committee, said during Tuesday’s debate. “Let’s face it: the only way to benefit from milk’s essential nutrients is to consume it.”
This proposal has been supported by more than 100 lawmakers and the dairy industry, who argue that children are more likely to drink milk if it has a better taste. However, opponents contend that children can receive the same nutrients from lower-fat milk without consuming increased saturated fat.
The bill, if passed, would reverse the rules implemented in 2012 that only permitted schools to serve nonfat or 1% milk for children over the age of two. Schools participating in USDA’s school meals program haven’t been permitted to serve either whole milk — which has 3.25% milk fat — or 2% milk, since 2012, when new rules went into effect. The debate involves the question of whether saturated fat from dairy products is different from saturated fat from other food sources. Researchers are still divided on this issue.
