The whole milk back in school meals? What to know about the revival

By Jonel Aleccia, Associated Press

More than a dozen years after fatty milk has been removed from school meals to slow down obesity in American children and stimulate their health, the momentum grows to put it back.

Federal legislators have relaunched bills that would allow the service of whole milk and 2% in schools, in addition to skim and low -fat milk since 2012. A committee of the United States Senate organized on Tuesday an audience on a bill that has bipartite support.

“Children need healthy and nourishing food to become strong and stay healthy, and whole milk is filled with the nutrients they need,” said senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who co -sponsors the legislation.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualified federal dietary directives demanding little fatty milk “outdated” and last month encouraged “full milk / whole milk” to be used in Head Start programs for the youngest children in the country.

The move of the Obama era to require skim and low -fat milk in schools aimed to reduce the consumption of children of saturated fats and calories, which can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity.

But some nutrition experts, legislators and dairy industry argue that whole milk has been unjustly vilified and that some studies suggest that children who drink whole milk are less likely to have obesity. Critics also argue that many children do not like the taste of milk with low fat and do not drink it, leading them to lack precious nutrients.

Here is what you need to know about the debate on whole milk in school meals:

Why has whole milk been removed from school meals?

In 2010, Congress adopted the law on healthy and hunger children, which aimed to reduce infant obesity and reduce children’s health risks. School meals were needed to include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, proteins and low -fat dairy products and less sugar, sodium and fat.

From 2012, whole milk and 2% was not authorized in school meals because these products are higher in saturated fats and calories than the low -fat options.

Nutrition experts have said that skimmed and low -fat milk provide children the advantages of the necessary nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D with less fat and less calories.

How are school meals guidelines defined?

The Department of American Agriculture establishes nutritional directives for national school lunch and breakfast programs, which serve nearly 30 million students each school day.

Nutritional standards are required to comply with federal food directives for Americans, who are examined and revised every five years. Since 1985, these guidelines have recommended Americans over 2 years old that the age of 2 consumes low fat or fat -free dairy products.

Food guidelines of 2025-2030 are planned for the revision this year as part of a joint effort of the USDA and the Ministry of Health and Social Services. A panel of scientific experts who examined the evidence regarding the material content of milk has recommended that American policy remains the same.

One of the reasons was that research has shown changes in the federal nutrition program after the 2010 law has slowed down the increase in obesity among American children – even adolescents, said Deanna Hoelelscher, nutrition expert and researcher at the Center for Health Sciences at the University of Texas who sat on the Food Directives Committee.

“We have not found enough final evidence to modify a policy that has been in place that has shown good results to date,” said Hoelelscher.

Although there was limited evidence that the consumption of higher dairy products rather than low-fat dairy products could benefit very young children, there was not enough evidence to conclude for older children and adolescents, she said. There were “substantial concerns” of the coherence, quantity and risk of bias in existing research, concluded the report.

What is behind the thrust of whole milk in schools?

Some nutrition experts highlight recent research suggesting that children who drink whole milk could be less likely to be overweight or develop obesity than children who drink milk with low -matter content. A journal in 2020 of 28 studies suggested that the risk was 40% less for children who drank whole milk rather than reduced fatty milk, although the authors of the study noted that research could not say if the consumption of milk was the reason.

A high -level nutrition expert, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian at TUFTS University, noted that the Food Directives Committee found “no evidence that whole dairy products are worse than low -fat dairy products”, but they have retained recommendations, citing the need for more research.

“The fatty fats in dairy products have not been linked to any unfavorable results for health,” said Mozaffarian.

The invoices pending at the Congress stipulate that fat milk would not be considered as part of the saturated fat limits required in school meals. Indeed, fatty acids saturated in dairy products have a different composition of beef fat, said Mozaffarian, adding that dairy products have other beneficial compounds that could compensate for theoretical damage.

In addition, Mozaffarian noted the current USDA guidelines prohibit whole milk, but allow skimmed chocolate and low in fat and other sweet flavored milk with added sugars. Last year, the USDA agreed to limit the sugars added in school food for the first time.

Defenders of the dairy industry say that participation in school meal programs and milk consumption have decreased since the abolition of whole milk.

What is the next step?

USDA and HHS should publish the new food directives this year. Kennedy and the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, said that they were making a “line by line” of the scientific report published under the previous administration – but that this means that a new acceptance of whole milk remains clear.

The versions of “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act” are pending in the two chambers of the Congress.

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