Federal bill that would require schools to offer flavored milk is reintroduced

A federal bill has been reintroduced in Congress that would require school nutrition programs participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer at least one flavored milk option each day. 

U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik reintroduced the Protecting School Milk Choices Act after New York City Mayor Eric Adams' proposal to ban flavored milk in the city's public schools failed to move forward last spring. 

“Our dairy farmers in Upstate New York and the North Country work hard to produce nutritious milk for our communities, and I am proud to lead legislation to ensure a variety of milk choices for our school children. Any effort of Mayor Adams to ban chocolate milk and replace it with vegan juice is an absolute non-starter and will be opposed by parents, families, kids and New Yorkers,” Stefanik said in a press release. “Instead of taking away milk choices from students, my bill will give them better access to essential dairy nutrients critical for their development, and I will continue to lead the effort to protect real dairy products in schools for the sake of our kids. Let our New York students drink chocolate milk!”

Changing flavored milk requirements in schools is one of the provisions up for debate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new proposed rules for School Nutrition Standards.

The USDA is deciding between keeping the current standard of allowing fat-free and/or low-fat flavored milk to be offered at all grade levels or limiting it to only high school students. 

The public will be able to comment on the proposed rules starting next week.