Lawmakers Support Whole Milk in Schools, With Child Nutrition Ahead
April 5, 2021
NMPF thanked Congressmen Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Antonio Delgado (D-NY) for introducing the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2021, which would allow for both unflavored and flavored whole milk to be offered in school cafeterias. Reps. Thompson and Delgado introduced the measure on March 11.
Children’s nutrition is a key public-health concern, with dairy underconsumption a pressing issue. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that crafted the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans in July found that 79 percent of 9-13-year-olds don’t meet the recommended intake for dairy. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act would improve child nutrition by encouraging greater consumption of milk, which delivers three of the four nutrients considered to be a public health concern (calcium, Vitamin D, and potassium).
NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern thanked Thompson and Delgado for introducing the measure, noting “Whole milk provides a valuable way for children to obtain dairy’s nutritional benefits as part of a healthy eating pattern.”
NMPF is preparing for the reauthorization of child nutrition programs, which the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee has announced as a policy priority this year. Among other child nutrition programs are the school breakfast and lunch programs, the summer food program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
NMPF will continue partnering with other dairy and nutrition stakeholders in its ongoing work with Congress and USDA to ensure everyone in the U.S. has access to healthy, affordable food.