Congress steps into USDA’s traditional role on child nutrition standards

Today, following Senate passage last month, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, H.R. 649, legislation long opposed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, passed the House. The bill will likely soon be enacted into law by President Trump.

The science is clear: dietary saturated fat increases heart disease risk, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Despite this, S.222/H.R.649 allows full fat (whole) and reduced fat (2 percent) milk to be served in schools and exempts milk’s saturated fat content from counting towards the weekly, science-based saturated fat limits school meals follow. Nearly 90 percent of children consume too much saturated fat. This bill thus leaves even more room for excess saturated fat, making this bill the exact opposite of what is needed to improve health outcomes and a clear handout to the dairy industry at the expense of our kids’ health.

The act was amended to allow “nutritionally equivalent” nondairy beverages to be readily available in school cafeterias – an update CSPI supports as it improves access to nondairy milk alternatives.  

The grim irony of Congress passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is that it follows a series of Congressional and Administrative actions, including the passage of HR 1, which will weaken the safety net programs that provide nutritious food to kids. These actions have and will continue to reduce benefits for families with school-aged children, add hurdles to applying for benefits, and cut funding for fresh, locally grown food in schools.

School meals are the most nutritious source of food for kids. We appreciate Rep. Bobby Scott and all representatives who voted “No” for putting our kids’ health first. We are disappointed today that Congress, instead of prioritizing access to and funding for school meals and other child nutrition programs, chose to undermine evidence-based nutrition standards that were designed to protect kids’ health.