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Dairy groups want whole milk in schools
The American Dairy Coalition is asking for whole milk to be considered in schools as part of the new dietary guidelines.
In a letter to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, the coalition calls for more scientific studies to be considered by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The group wants the secretaries to intervene by demanding caps on saturated fat be removed so whole milk can be available to students, saying science concludes full-fat dairy products not only improve nutrition but also learning readiness.
The coalition says the current guidelines are not working as public health has steadily declined in the 40 years since implementation, childhood obesity and diabetes diagnoses have tripled, and adult obesity rates have doubled.
The National Milk Producers Federation is also disappointed the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s final report released Wednesday ignored at multiple studies that show beneficial or neutral effects of dairy on chronic disease risk at all fat levels.
The final report does find Americans overall need more dairy in their diets, with nearly 90 percent of falling short of recommendations, including nearly 80 percent of nine to 13-year-olds.
