Trump Signs Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, Restoring Whole and 2% Milk in School Meals and Easing Parent Requests for Milk Substitutes
President Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, overturning 2012 limits and allowing schools in the National School Lunch Program to serve whole and 2% milk alongside 1% and skim — including organic, flavored and lactose‑free options — and explicitly exempting milk fat from the federal saturated‑fat averaging requirement. The law also requires schools to offer nondairy milk alternatives when a parent (not just a doctor) provides a note, aligns with the new 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines’ emphasis on full‑fat dairy (prompting forthcoming USDA rulemaking on flavored milks), and drew praise from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and other officials.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- President Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law, overturning 2012 Obama-era limits on higher‑fat milk in school meals.
- Under the law, schools in the National School Lunch Program may serve whole and 2% milk alongside 1% and skim; milks may be flavored or unflavored, organic or conventional, and lactose‑free.
- Nondairy milk alternatives must be offered if a parent (not just a doctor) provides a note citing a dietary restriction, and those nondairy drinks must meet milk‑equivalent nutrition standards.
- The statute explicitly exempts milk fat from counting toward the federal rule that saturated fat must average less than 10% of calories in school meals.
- The change follows the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasize full‑fat dairy with no added sugars; USDA will need to reconcile the guidelines with school‑meal rules and may undertake rulemaking related to flavored milks.
- Administration officials and advisers praised the law: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called it a “long‑overdue correction” and argued whole milk is not shown to harm children, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins criticized prior limits as “short‑sighted,” Ben Carson (USDA nutrition adviser) touted whole milk’s fats and nutrients, and President Trump at the signing said whole milk is “a great thing” and criticized the prior doctor‑note requirement.
- Coverage cited research and expert commentary: a 2020 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study reported an association between higher cow’s‑milk fat intake and lower body fat in children, and a WebMD expert noted that lowering milk fat reduces calories and saturated fat while protein and calcium remain similar; most plant‑based milks have less protein than cow’s milk except for soy or pea milks.
đź“Š Relevant Data
In 2022, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. children and adolescents aged 2-19 was 26.2% for Hispanic youth, 24.8% for non-Hispanic Black youth, and 16.6% for non-Hispanic White youth, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Childhood Obesity Facts — CDC
As of 2023, the U.S. youth population (ages 0-17) is approximately 51% non-Hispanic White, 15% non-Hispanic Black, and 25% Hispanic, providing base rates for understanding disparities in health outcomes like obesity.
Youth (0 to 17) population profile detailed by age, sex, and race/ethnicity — Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Lactose intolerance affects approximately 75-95% of African Americans and Asian Americans, compared to 18-26% of northern Europeans, influencing dairy consumption patterns across ethnic groups.
Lactose Intolerance: Millions of Americans Don't Know They Have It — Intermountain Healthcare
Racial disparities in childhood obesity are widened by factors such as food insecurity and limited access to healthy foods, with minority communities facing higher rates due to socioeconomic barriers.
5 Things That Widen Racial Disparities in Childhood Obesity — AJMC
đź“° Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Quotes Trump calling prior doctor‑note requirement for milk substitutes 'rather ridiculous' and saying the law lets parents 'choose what is best for their child.'
- RFK Jr. explicitly claims 'science [has] never shown that whole milk harms children' and links removal of whole milk from schools over 15 years to increased childhood obesity and diabetes.
- Ben Carson, now USDA national adviser on nutrition, says milk’s 'healthy fats' are 'essential for brain development' and praises whole milk as high‑quality protein rich in vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus.
- Fox highlights a 2020 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study from University of Toronto finding an association between higher cow’s‑milk fat intake and lower body fat in children 1–18.
- WebMD’s Dr. Neha Pathak explains that as milk fat percentage drops, calories and saturated fat decrease but protein and calcium stay broadly similar, and notes plant‑based milks usually have less protein than cow’s milk except soy/pea milks.
- Confirms Trump’s public signing ceremony timing and quotes him saying, “Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whole milk is a great thing.”
- Spells out that schools can now serve flavored and unflavored organic or conventional whole, 2%, 1%, lactose‑free and qualifying nondairy milks, and that nondairy can be provided with only a parental note rather than a doctor’s note.
- Details that the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines newly emphasize full‑fat dairy and call for "full‑fat dairy with no added sugars," setting up a coming USDA rulemaking to remove flavored milks from school meals.
- Clarifies that the law exempts milk fat from the federal requirement that saturated fat average less than 10% of calories in school meals.
- Includes praise and framing from key officials: RFK Jr. calling the law a "long‑overdue correction" and Brooke Rollins calling Michelle Obama’s prior limits a "short‑sighted campaign to ditch whole milk."
- Confirms Trump has now signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law and specifies it overturns 2012 Obama-era limits on higher-fat milk in school meals.
- Details that schools in the National School Lunch Program can now serve whole and 2% milk alongside 1% and skim, and that milk can be organic, conventional, flavored or lactose-free.
- Explains the law requires schools to offer nondairy milk alternatives if a parent—not just a doctor—provides a note citing a dietary restriction, and that nondairy drinks must meet milk-equivalent nutrition standards.
- Reports that the statute explicitly exempts milk fat from counting toward the federal requirement that saturated fat average less than 10% of calories in school meals.
- Links the law to the newly released 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which now emphasize full-fat dairy without added sugars, and notes USDA will have to reconcile that with existing rules allowing flavored milks in schools.
- Quotes Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling the law a “long-overdue correction to school nutrition policy” and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attacking Michelle Obama’s prior rules as “short-sighted.”