Just in time for June Dairy Month, the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry approved the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act out of their committee. A similar piece of legislation was approved by the House Education and Workforce Committee in February. If signed into law, the legislation will provide schools with the option of serving whole and 2 percent milk, which are the two most consumed varieties of milk by families in their homes. Now both bills await floor action, with many feeling very positive that this year could finally be the year we’ll see whole milk back in our schools.
Unfortunately, the timing of the bill is coming a little late for our family to benefit from it. My youngest graduated from high school in May. While he drinks a lot of milk at home, I am not sure he has drunk more than 25 pints of milk at school during his entire time there from first grade to graduation. That’s because he simply did not like the milk there. When he was in kindergarten, his teacher sent a note home asking if I would bring in juice boxes so he would have something to drink. As a dairy farmer, the thought of sending in sugary drinks because my son didn’t like milk was ludicrous. Milk was much more nutritious for him. But for countless families, it’s just reality.
Benefits of Dairy Fat
That’s because our country changed its School Lunch Program guidelines in 2010 to remove fuller fat milk from the school menu, citing concerns about rising obesity in our youth. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite the fact that obesity in America’s youth has tripled since the late 1970s, with one in every five children considered obese. While obesity is a real issue, our nation’s leaders failed to recognize the difference between good fat and bad fat when they made the decision to move away from fuller fat milks.
Since then, new research has come out to show that dairy fats are not linked to heart disease or other adulthood diseases. In addition, continued research has documented the important role that dairy fats play in childhood brain development. Fuller fat milk and flavored milks also have a better mouth appeal than their lower or nonfat alternatives, which often turn young children away from consuming milk.
Data has documented a substantial decrease in school milk sales since 2012, with one survey on 63,000 schools showing a 2-percent decline in school milk sales since the new requirements were released. Since milk still has a place on the school lunch tray, the 2-percent decrease in milk sales doesn’t even consider the amount of milk added to the tray but never consumed. Schools report significant increases in discarded milk since fuller fat milks were removed.
Conflicting Trends
On the flip side, other reports show consumption of whole milk and flavored milk bucking the trend toward declining sales in the total milk category. After declining over several decades, whole milk sales have experienced year-over-year growth every year from 2014 to 2023, except 2021. While the total fluid milk category saw sales decline by 14 percent during that 10-year period, whole milk sales were up 18 percent, increasing from 13.8 billion pounds in 2014 to 16.3 billion pounds in 2023. That means more and more families are moving away from lower fat varieties and are back to having whole milk in their homes.
Ever since whole milk was removed from schools, advocates within the dairy industry, including grassroots groups in Pennsylvania, have pushed for Congress to pass whole milk legislation. However, more recently, the advocates arguing for whole milk in schools have grown to include parents of young families and pediatricians who agree that whole milk provides essential nutrients children need for their growth and development. If children are throwing away the milk or choosing an alternative because they don’t like its taste, they are missing out on those important nutrients in their diets.
Start with Advocacy
Like I said, this bill is coming a little late for our family. However, when I look back over the past two decades, I am grateful for the influence that school has had on my children. I am thankful for the friendships they have established, for the teachers and coaches who have guided them, and for the life lessons and habits they have learned there. As dairy advocates and advocates for our children, we need to make sure drinking milk remains one of those lifelong habits that are encouraged in our schools.
Getting fuller fat milk options back in school is the best way to do this. Remember, we can all play a role in making sure this is happening – both at the national level and in our local schools. We are fortunate that both Pennsylvania’s US Senators, John Fetterman and Dave McCormick, support the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, as do many of our US Congressmen. However, you can still call your elected leaders’ offices and encourage them to make sure the bill becomes law in this session. Hopefully, if we all do our part, we will have more reasons to celebrate come the next June Dairy Month.
Editor’s Note: This column is written by Jayne Sebright, executive director for the Center for Dairy Excellence.