Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

The law expands beverage options for students while maintaining federal nutrition standards and strengthening food-allergy training.

What the law does ​

• Requires participating schools to offer a variety of milk options.
• Allows whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk, including flavored, unflavored, organic, nonorganic, and lactose-free varieties.
• Permits nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages meeting federal standards for calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D.
• Excludes milk fat from the federal limit on a school meal’s average saturated fat content.
• Allows a physician, parent, or legal guardian to support a student’s need for a milk substitute.
• Adds food-allergy prevention, recognition, and response practices to training for local school food-service personnel.

Who it affects ​

• Students and families participating in the national school lunch program.
• Participating schools and local school food-service personnel.
• Milk and qualifying nondairy beverage providers.

Breakdown ​

Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 ​

This law allows schools in the national school lunch program to offer whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk, including flavored, unflavored, organic, nonorganic, and lactose-free options. It also permits nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages and adds food-allergy prevention and response information to training for local school food-service personnel.

Key takeaways

• Participating schools must offer students a variety of milk options.
• Schools may serve whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk, including flavored, unflavored, organic, nonorganic, and lactose-free varieties.
• Schools may offer nondairy beverages that meet federal nutrition standards, including required levels of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D.
• Milk fat does not count toward the federal limit on a school meal’s average saturated fat content.
• A physician, parent, or legal guardian may support a student’s need for a milk substitute.
• Training for local school food-service personnel must cover best practices for preventing, recognizing, and responding to food-related allergic reactions.