Nutrition
Milk is a unique package of protein and 13 essential nutrients that provides unmatched nutritional benefits. Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt are at the foundation of healthy eating patterns. Dairy helps Americans meet recommendations for calcium, vitamin D and potassium, three of the four under-consumed nutrients of public health concern identified by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Age groups beginning at age 4 and including nearly 80 percent of youth ages 9-13 fall short of meeting daily dairy intake recommendations. The gap between recommendations and reality, and its resulting negative health consequences, means federal policy needs to encourage dairy consumption through expanded offerings and enhanced education. Meeting daily dairy recommendations helps Americans close key nutrient gaps and contributes to healthier eating.
Our Position
NMPF supports federal nutrition programs that help feed Americans struggling with food security and access, including the National School Lunch program, the School Breakfast Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. NMPF supports enhancing these programs to combat hunger, meet the nutritional needs of Americans, and provide nutritious dairy products to families that need them.
NMPF also supports legislative efforts to expand school milk choices to give kids access to healthy, nutrient-dense options that they love to consume. This includes the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which would allow both whole milk and reduced-fat milk to be offered in school cafeterias, in addition to the currently available low-fat and fat-free varieties.
Key Points
- Most Americans don’t consume the recommended amounts of dairy foods. But even at current intakes, dairy foods supply more than half of the calcium and vitamin D in the U.S. diet.
- Federal food assistance programs authorized by Congress and administered by USDA aim to promote healthy eating and provide Americans with better access to nutritious food, including dairy products.
- Milk is an integral part of the national school lunch and breakfast programs, being a key source of 13 essential nutrients in the diets of children and youth aged 18 and younger.
- Flavored milk has long been a popular choice in schools and provides the same essential nutrients as unflavored milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics declared that “consideration of a beverage such as flavored milk provides a good example of the balance needed to limit added sugars and yet promote nutrient-rich foods.”
