WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump signed a bill on January 14 that overturned Obama-era limits on higher-fat milk options, signaling a return of whole milk to school cafeterias across the country.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which cleared Congress in the fall, may also see the return of nondairy drinks such as fortified soy milk.
"Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whole milk is a great thing," Trump said at a White House signing ceremony that featured lawmakers, dairy farmers, and their children.
The action allows schools in the National School Lunch Program to serve whole and two percent milk, in addition to the skim and low-fat dairy required since 2012. It also permits schools to offer nondairy milk that meets nutrition standards and requires them to provide a nondairy option if parents, not just doctors, submit a note saying a child has dietary restrictions.
The signing came days after the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasize full-fat dairy as part of a healthy diet. Earlier guidelines advised people over age 2 to consume low-fat or fat-free dairy. Earlier this week, the Agriculture Department posted an image of Trump with a glass of milk and a "milk mustache" saying, "Drink Whole Milk."
The change could take effect as soon as this fall, though school nutrition and dairy industry officials said some schools may need more time to assess demand and adjust supply chains.
Long supported by the dairy industry, the return of whole and two percent milk reverses parts of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which former first lady Michelle Obama promoted. Passed more than a decade ago, the law aimed to reduce obesity and improve health by cutting saturated fat and calories from higher-fat milk.
Supporters, including nutrition experts, lawmakers, and the dairy industry, argue that whole milk is nutritious and has been unfairly criticized. Some studies suggest children who drink whole milk may be less likely to become obese than those who drink lower-fat dairy. Critics of low-fat milk also say many children dislike the taste and do not drink it, leading to wasted food and missed nutrition.
The new rules will affect meals for about 30 million students in the National School Lunch Program. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the law a "long-overdue correction" to school nutrition policy, while Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said it reversed Michelle Obama's "short-sighted campaign to ditch whole milk."
Schools will now be required to offer several fluid milk options, including flavored and unflavored organic or conventional whole milk, two percent, one percent, lactose-free milk, and nondairy alternatives that meet nutrition standards.
However, the new dietary guidelines recommend "full-fat dairy with no added sugars," which would rule out flavored milks currently allowed under school meal standards. Agriculture officials will need to turn that guidance into specific rules that could eliminate flavored milk.
The law also exempts milk fat from counting toward federal limits that cap saturated fat at less than 10 percent of total calories in school meals.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University has said there is no meaningful health benefit to choosing low-fat over high-fat dairy. He said saturated fat in dairy differs from fats such as beef fat and includes compounds that may reduce potential harm. He added that saturated fat in dairy has not been linked to adverse health outcomes.
Research has shown that nutrition changes after the Obama-era law slowed the rise of obesity among U.S. children, including teenagers. But newer studies suggest children who drink whole milk may be less likely to be overweight or obese than those who drink low-fat milk.
A 2020 review of 28 studies found a 40 percent lower risk among whole-milk drinkers, though the authors said they could not prove milk was the cause.