Overriding nutritional guidelines, the House Education Committee approved, 26-13, a bill to allow schools to serve whole milk as part of the school lunch program. “For too long, milk has been demonized,” said sponsor Rep. Glenn Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and a senior Republican on the Education panel.
The bill now goes to the House floor for a vote. “Ultimately, I look forward to restoring access to these nutritious beverages in schools across the country,” said Thompson.
At present, schools must offer low-fat and fat-free milk, with the option of flavored fat-free and low-fat milk. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consumption of low-fat and fat-free milk by children and adults.
In February, the USDA proposed its first standards on added sugars in school meals, which could reduce the availability of flavored milk, the leading source of added sugars in school breakfasts and lunches. The USDA proposal would maintain the requirement to offer low-fat and fat-free milk.
New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman said Thompson’s bill, HR 1147, was “a blatant attempt to legislate nutrition standards and ignore science.” Low-fat and fat-free milk “are the healthiest options,” said Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the senior Democrat on the committee.
Whole, or full-fat milk, is higher in saturated fat, which is linked to higher cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. It also has more calories than low-fat or fat-free milk. One in five children and adolescents is obese, says the CDC.
House Education chairwoman Virginia Foxx and Thompson derided the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as the work of unelected bureaucrats.
“This debate on whole milk takes the cake,” said Foxx, of North Carolina. Whole milk has a fat content of 3.5 percent and low-fat milk is 1 percent. “Surely to goodness, that kind of fat content is not doing the damage that some people are saying,” said Foxx, referring to concerns about child obesity and high cholesterol.
“We’re not force-feeding anybody anything. We’re providing children options,” agreed Thompson.
Democrats on the committee such as Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon objected that the panel was rewriting child nutrition standards piecemeal rather than drafting a comprehensive overhaul of the school food program. The last child nutrition reauthorization bill enacted by Congress was in 2010. It called for more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less salt and fat in school meals.
Child nutrition programs cost more than $26 billion a year.
“Most kids and adolescents do not meet the daily dairy intake recommendations made in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” said the National Milk Producers Federation. It said Thompson bill “is a significant step toward expanding the popular, healthy milk options schools can serve to improve their students’ nutrient intake.”
To watch a video of the Education Committee meeting, click here.
The latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is available here.