Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

Bill: 119-hr-649
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15]
Introduced: 2025-01-23
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Asia

Child health

China

Department of Agriculture

Elementary and secondary education

Food assistance and relief

Nutrition and diet
Latest action: action_date: 2025-06-05
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 111.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA).</p><p>Currently, schools participating in the program must provide milk that is consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. The bill modifies these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. The milk that is offered may be organic or nonorganic. Further, USDA may not prohibit a participating&nbsp;school from offering students any of these milk choices.</p><p>Further, schools&nbsp;currently must provide a substitute for fluid milk, on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician,&nbsp;for students whose disability restricts their diet. Under the bill, a parent or legal guardian may also provide the written statement.</p><p>In addition, schools currently participating in the program must provide meals that meet certain nutrition requirements;&nbsp;USDA regulations require that the average saturated fat content of the meals offered must be less than 10% of the total calories. Under the bill, fluid milk is excluded from the saturated fat content calculation; milk fat included in any fluid milk provided by the program must not be considered saturated fat for the purposes of measuring compliance with USDA regulations.</p><p>Finally, the bill prohibits schools participating in the program from purchasing or offering milk produced by Chinese state-owned enterprises.</p>

tv_txt: IB Union Calendar No. 111 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 649 [Report No. 119–142] IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 23, 2025 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself, Ms. Schrier , Mr. Finstad , Ms. Craig , Ms. Tokuda , Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida , Mr. Meuser , Mr. Estes , Mr. Fleischmann , Mrs. Miller of Illinois , Mrs. Cammack , Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia , Mr. Van Orden , Mr. Langworthy , Ms. Pingree , Ms. De La Cruz , Mr. Bost , Mr. Mann , Ms. Tenney , Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania , Mr. Fulcher , Mr. Jackson of Texas , Mr. Graves , Mr. Moolenaar , Mr. Fitzgerald , Mr. Alford , Mr. Bacon , Mr. Owens , Mr. Costa , Mr. Panetta , Mr. Taylor , Mr. Bishop , Mr. Perry , Mr. Deluzio , Mr. Mackenzie , Mrs. Hayes , Mr. Bresnahan , Mr. Pocan , Mr. Harder of California , Mr. Steil , Mr. Reschenthaler , Mr. Davis of North Carolina , Mr. Barr , Ms. Budzinski , Mr. Ryan , Mr. Vasquez , Mrs. Fischbach , Mr. Smucker , Mr. Cuellar , Mr. Simpson , Mr. Golden of Maine , Mr. Rose , Mr. Messmer , Mr. Carter of Georgia , Mr. Lawler , Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania , Mr. Balderson , Mr. Rouzer , Mr. Kelly of Mississippi , Mr. Wied , Mr. Newhouse , Mrs. Hinson , Mr. Moore of Alabama , Mr. Courtney , Mr. Valadao , Mr. Sorensen , Mr. Harris of North Carolina , Mr. Tonko , Mr. Jackson of Illinois , Mr. Fitzpatrick , and Mr. Guest ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce June 5, 2025 Additional sponsors: Ms. Maloy , Mr. Gray , Mr. Nunn of Iowa , Mr. Riley of New York , Mr. Collins , Mr. Mannion , Ms. McDonald Rivet , Mr. Allen , Ms. Letlow , Mr. Grothman , Mr. Gottheimer , Mr. Rulli , Ms. DelBene , Mr. Baird , Mr. Bentz , Ms. Davids of Kansas , Mr. Weber of Texas , Mr. Lucas , Mr. Wilson of South Carolina , Mr. Womack , Mr. Suozzi , Mrs. Houchin , Ms. Balint , Mr. Moore of North Carolina , Mr. David Scott of Georgia , Mr. Baumgartner , Mr. Comer , Mr. Carter of Texas , Ms. Salinas , Ms. Foxx , Mr. LaMalfa , Mr. Thompson of Mississippi , Mr. Crawford , Mr. Onder , Mr. Moylan , Mr. Yakym , Mr. Carbajal , Mrs. McClain Delaney , Ms. Kaptur , Mr. Johnson of South Dakota , Mr. Downing , Mr. Larsen of Washington , Ms. Stefanik , Mr. Smith of Nebraska , Ms. Scholten , Mrs. Miller-Meeks , Mr. Tiffany , and Mr. Feenstra June 5, 2025 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 23, 2025 A BILL To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow schools that participate in the school lunch program under such Act to serve whole milk.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 . 2. Organic or non-organic whole milk permissible Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2) ) is amended— (1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows: (A) In general Lunches served by schools participating in the school lunch program under this Act— (i) shall offer students a variety of fluid milk; (ii) may offer students flavored and unflavored organic or non-organic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk; and (iii) shall provide a substitute for fluid milk for students whose disability restricts their diet, on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician, parent, or legal guardian that identifies the disability that restricts the student’s diet and that specifies the substitute for fluid milk. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (D) Saturated fat Milk fat included in any fluid milk provided under subparagraph (A) shall not be considered saturated fat for purposes of measuring compliance with the allowable average saturated fat content of a meal under section 210.10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). (E) Prohibition on certain purchases The Secretary shall prohibit schools participating in the school lunch program under this Act from purchasing or offering milk produced by a China state-owned enterprise. (F) Limitation on authority The Secretary may not prohibit any school participating in the school lunch program under this Act from offering students the milk described in subparagraph (A)(ii). .

June 5, 2025 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 649 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 23, 2025 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself, Ms. Schrier , Mr. Finstad , Ms. Craig , Ms. Tokuda , Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida , Mr. Meuser , Mr. Estes , Mr. Fleischmann , Mrs. Miller of Illinois , Mrs. Cammack , Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia , Mr. Van Orden , Mr. Langworthy , Ms. Pingree , Ms. De La Cruz , Mr. Bost , Mr. Mann , Ms. Tenney , Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania , Mr. Fulcher , Mr. Jackson of Texas , Mr. Graves , Mr. Moolenaar , Mr. Fitzgerald , Mr. Alford , Mr. Bacon , Mr. Owens , Mr. Costa , Mr. Panetta , Mr. Taylor , Mr. Bishop , Mr. Perry , Mr. Deluzio , Mr. Mackenzie , Mrs. Hayes , Mr. Bresnahan , Mr. Pocan , Mr. Harder of California , Mr. Steil , Mr. Reschenthaler , Mr. Davis of North Carolina , Mr. Barr , Ms. Budzinski , Mr. Ryan , Mr. Vasquez , Mrs. Fischbach , Mr. Smucker , Mr. Cuellar , Mr. Simpson , Mr. Golden of Maine , Mr. Rose , Mr. Messmer , Mr. Carter of Georgia , Mr. Lawler , Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania , Mr. Balderson , Mr. Rouzer , Mr. Kelly of Mississippi , Mr. Wied , Mr. Newhouse , Mrs. Hinson , Mr. Moore of Alabama , Mr. Courtney , Mr. Valadao , Mr. Sorensen , Mr. Harris of North Carolina , Mr. Tonko , Mr. Jackson of Illinois , Mr. Fitzpatrick , and Mr. Guest ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce A BILL To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow schools that participate in the school lunch program under such Act to serve whole milk.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 . 2. Organic or non-organic whole milk permissible Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2) ) is amended— (1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows: (A) In general Lunches served by schools participating in the school lunch program under this Act— (i) shall offer students a variety of fluid milk; (ii) may offer students flavored and unflavored organic or non-organic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk; and (iii) shall provide a substitute for fluid milk for students whose disability restricts their diet, on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician, parent, or legal guardian that identifies the disability that restricts the student’s diet and that specifies the substitute for fluid milk. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (D) Saturated fat Milk fat included in any fluid milk provided under subparagraph (A) shall not be considered saturated fat for purposes of measuring compliance with the allowable average saturated fat content of a meal under section 210.10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). (E) Prohibition on certain purchases The Secretary shall prohibit schools participating in the school lunch program under this Act from purchasing or offering milk produced by China state-owned enterprises. (F) Limitation on authority The Secretary may not prohibit any school participating in the school lunch program under this Act from offering students the milk described in subparagraph (A)(ii). .