UPDATE: Whole Milk is Back

May 08, 2026

UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a codifying the changes of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Most notably, USDA clarified that districts can serve whole milk for both the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch program. Previously, the statutory text limited the flexibility to just lunch. Effective June 8, 2026, school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the NSLP and SBP may exclude the saturated fat from fluid milk when calculating the weekly average saturated fat requirement at lunch and breakfast.

On December 15, Congress passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which gives schools the option to serve whole milk again and stipulates that milk fat cannot be considered saturated fat for the purposes of measuring compliance with meal pattern requirements. The bill codifies the many milk options that schools can serve (flavored and unflavored organic or nonorganic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk), removing the ability for USDA to make changes in future school nutrition regulations. 

Additionally, students “whose disability restricts their diet” can now request a milk substitute with a written statement from a parent or legal guardian. Previously, the law required a written statement from a physician.

ܲAVƵdid not take a position on the bill.