Whole milk headed back to school cafeterias after Trump signs law as experts tout benefits
President Donald Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law Wednesday — a piece of legislation that brings whole milk and 2% milk back into schools.
Obama-era USDA school-meal rules — under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act — previously banned whole milk, requiring schools to only offer fat-free, low-fat, flavored or unflavored milk options.
"With this legislation, schools will finally be able to expand their offerings to include nutritious whole milk," the president said during the signing. "This is the perfect follow-up to the new Real Food pyramid."
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The bill also allows parents to request milk substitutes, while a written statement from a doctor was previously required.
"We're eliminating that rather ridiculous policy, allowing parents to choose what is best for their child, which is a big move," Trump added.
The change comes a week after the release of the flipped food pyramid, part of the Make America Healthy Again movement’s proactive approach to health.
At the signing, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said President Trump has ended the war on saturated fat that's taken over school menus, "even though science [has] never shown that whole milk harms children."
"The panoply of nutrients in whole milk is critical to brain development and physical development in our children," said Kennedy.
The secretary linked the increase in childhood obesity and diabetes to the removal of whole milk from schools over the past 15 years.
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A 2020 study by University of Toronto professors, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found an association between higher cow’s-milk fat consumption and lower body-fat levels in children ages 1 to 18.
Dr. Neha Pathak, a chief physician editor for WebMD and a previous physician leader in Atlanta, told Fox News Digital that different types of milk mainly vary by how much fat they contain.
"As you go down in milk fat percentage, you generally get fewer calories and less saturated fat, while protein and calcium stay broadly similar," Pathak said.
Certain vitamins, such as vitamin D, are typically added back through fortification, she noted.
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Addressing the rise of plant-based milks, Pathak said their protein content is often lower than cow’s milk.
The exception would be soy and pea milk, which can have protein at comparable levels to dairy, she added.
Dr. Ben Carson, USDA's national advisor for nutrition, health and housing, told Fox News Digital whole milk helps support brain development.
"Children’s brains are growing so rapidly, and milk provides the healthy fats that are essential for brain development," said Carson.
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"Whole milk is a high-quality protein that helps kids have strong bones and teeth with its vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus content."
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital that while whole milk may not have less sugar than low-fat or no-fat milk, there are many other benefits.
"[Whole milk] offer[s] more protein, calcium, vitamin D and minerals that are good for you, and it promotes satiety, which may keep you from overeating," the doctor said.
"It may also decrease your risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome and keep you from other addictive substances."