The lack of whole milk in schools has been ‘limiting healthy choices’ for students, a lawmaker said.
The House of Representatives on Dec. 15 passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, which seeks to restore whole milk to the United States’ school nutrition programs.
The bill passed the Senate in November. With the passage in the House, the bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
Beginning in the 2011–2012 school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) limited milk made available via the National School Lunch Program to flavored and non-flavored low-fat and skim milk varieties following decades of concerns about fat content in school meals.
Skim milk contains less than 0.5 percent milk fat, and low-fat milk contains 1 percent. Whole milk contains 3.25 percent milk fat.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act modifies the USDA restrictions, allowing flavored and unflavored whole milk to be provided as well. The milk can be either organic or non-organic.
“I have worked for a decade to restore whole milk to our school cafeterias, which have been limiting healthy choices for students, but that changes today,” Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), who sponsored the bill in the House, said in a Dec. 15 statement. “Whole milk is an essential building block for a well-rounded and balanced diet, and students should have the option to choose the milk they love.”
Under current rules, schools must provide students with disabilities a substitute for fluid milk when provided with a written statement from a licensed physician. According to the Whole Milk Act, a parent or legal guardian can write the request.
USDA regulations currently mandate that the average saturated fat content of school meals be less than 10 percent of the total calories.
The act excludes fluid milk from being taken into account in this calculation. Milk fat included in any fluid milk provided under the National School Lunch Program must not be considered saturated fat when measuring compliance with USDA rules, according to the bill.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins welcomed the House passage of the bill in a Dec. 16 post on X, calling it a “commonsense win for school nutrition and America’s dairy farmers.”
“It restores real choices kids actually enjoy and helps ensure the next generation grows up healthy and strong,“ Rollins said. ”It’s more than a policy change. It’s a practical way to promote health nationwide, support our farmers, and help the next generation thrive. Putting Farmers First. Making America Healthy Again.”
