Trump Signs Thompson’s Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act
President Donald Trump has signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law, allowing schools to offer a wider range of milk options to students. The new law, championed by U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, enables schools to provide flavored and unflavored whole and 2% milk, in addition to skim and low-fat milk.
This change is expected to have a significant impact on the nutrition of approximately 30 million students enrolled in the National School Lunch Program. The law also permits schools to serve nondairy milk alternatives, such as fortified soy milk, as long as they meet the nutritional standards of milk. Furthermore, schools will be required to offer a nondairy milk alternative if a student provides a note from their parents or a doctor stating a dietary restriction.
The signing of the law comes on the heels of the release of the 2025-30 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasize the importance of consuming full-fat dairy products as part of a healthy diet. This marks a shift from previous guidelines, which recommended low-fat or fat-free dairy for individuals over the age of 2.
Proponents of the law, including Thompson and U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, argue that whole milk is a nutritious and essential part of a balanced diet. They point to research suggesting that children who drink whole milk may be less likely to develop obesity than those who consume lower-fat milk. Additionally, many children have been known to dislike the taste of lower-fat milk, leading to missed nutrition and food waste.
The new law has been welcomed by the dairy industry, which has long advocated for the return of whole milk to school meals. The change is seen as a reversal of provisions in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by former First Lady Michelle Obama and aimed to reduce childhood obesity by limiting the consumption of saturated fats and calories in higher-fat milk.
Nutrition experts, such as Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University, have noted that there is no meaningful benefit to choosing low-fat over high-fat dairy. In fact, research has shown that saturated fatty acids in dairy have a different composition than other fats and may have beneficial compounds that offset potential harms.
The implementation of the new law is expected to take effect as soon as this fall, although it may take longer for some schools to adjust their supply chains and gauge demand for full-fat dairy products. Nevertheless, the expansion of milk options in schools is seen as a positive step towards promoting healthy eating habits and providing children with access to nutritious food.
