Lawmakers ask for flavored milk to stay

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Lawmakers ask for flavored milk to stay

A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives is raising their concerns about limited dairy consumption in schools to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The Representatives want to give schools the option to offer low-fat flavored milk which is currently prohibited by the dietary guidelines saying processors have worked to cut more than 50 percent of sugar in such products in recent years and studies have found overall dairy consumption has increased at schools where it has been allowed.

The group cites the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report which found nearly 80 percent of 9–13-year-olds are not meeting the recommended intake of dairy foods and its underconsumption has nutritional and health risks.

In April, the USDA waived unflavored low-fat milk restrictions to provide schools more flexibility during the pandemic and the group would like that flexibility to be made permanent.

The National Milk Producers Federation and International Dairy Foods Association are applauding the efforts.