(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill Wednesday allowing whole milk to be served in U.S. schools.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is the latest effort by the Trump administration to rewrite U.S. dietary guidelines. The act reverses Obama-era school meal rules that effectively limited cafeterias to fat-free and 1% milk.
The day-to-day impact on American schools depends on the district’s budget and vendors, but it’s a significant national lever, as school meals reach tens of millions of children. Dairy groups are largely cheering the move, as more options will likely increase demand.
Whole milk has more calories and saturated fat than skim milk, which is virtually fat-free and has similar natural sugar levels, but it can come in sweeter, flavored versions. The new guidelines have largely focused on increasing protein and reducing sugar and ultraprocessed foods. They did not change the saturated fat guidelines, which remain 10% of recommended daily calories, just as they were under President Joe Biden.
The emphasis on “whole food” sources has led some to see the administration’s move as focusing on saturated fat in the meat and dairy categories. Advocates of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement say the message behind the new milk act is to eat real food — rather than to eat or drink more saturated fats.
“We want whole food, we want real food, we want less processed food, we want lower sugar and whole milk is all of those things,” said pediatrician Joel Warsh.
