WASHINGTON — As the nation celebrates National School Lunch Week, U.S. parents are calling for Congress to reinstate whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk in U.S. public schools.For 12 years, students in public schools have been unable to access these widely consumed milk options in school meals. A new Morning Consult poll, commissioned by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), reveals that the vast majority of parents want these milk options to be available in school cafeterias, as they are at home.
The new poll of parents with children in public school shows widespread support for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023—bipartisan legislation to restore whole and 2% milk in school meals. The U.S. Senate is currently considering this bill, which already passed the House of Representatives in December 2023 with a strong bipartisan vote.
Key poll results include:
- 91% of parents serve whole or 2% to their school-aged children at home, and they want these options to be made available to their children at school;
- 88% of parents agree thatwhole milk and 2% milk should be options for children in public schools;
- 81% of parents support Congress passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act to make these options available, including 89% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans;
- Parents consider whole and 2% milk to be nutritious (89%), healthy (88%), wholesome (85%), and tasty (87%);
- Most parents of public-school students believe whole (60%) and/or 2% milk (60%) is currently served in their children’s school cafeterias, although these options were banned more than a decade ago; and
- Nine in ten (87%) view drinking milk as an important component of children’s daily nutritional intake.
“Regardless of income or location or political leanings, parents want public schools to offer whole and 2% milk because they know milk is critical to the health and wellbeing of their children, and they know their children prefer these options,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “This new polling underscores the near unanimous support among parents with children in public school for Congress to reinstate whole and 2% milk in school meals by passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.”
Whole and 2% milk provide children with 13 essential nutrients for growth, development, healthy immune function, and overall wellness. Since whole and 2% milk were banned from school meals menus more than a decade ago, school milk consumption and meal participation have declined, meaning children are consuming fewer essential nutrients. This is especially concerning considering underconsumption of milk and dairy products is prevalent among school-aged children, where between 68% and 94% of school-age boys and girls are failing to meet recommended levels of dairy intake per federal guidelines.
Evolving Science Supports Whole and 2% Milk
Nutrition science has evolved in the past decade to show neutral or positive benefits of full-fat dairy foods such as whole milk, including less weight gain, neutral or lower risk of heart disease, and lower childhood obesity. Learn more about the importance of milk—especially whole and 2% milk—in the diets of healthy children at www.wholemilkforkids.com.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023 (H.R.1147, S.1957) would allow schools to once again provide children with a wide variety of milk options that meet their individual needs—whether that be whole or 2%, low-fat, or lactose-free milk. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in December by a wide margin, while the U.S. Senate companion bill has been cosponsored by 18 bipartisan U.S. Senators.
“It is time for Congress to allow dairy farmers and milk processors to serve their best products to students. Reinstating whole and 2% milk in schools will increase milk consumption, ensuring more children get the necessary nutrients they need to thrive every day. IDFA urges the Senate to swiftly pass this legislation and grant U.S. students the ability to access the nutritious milk options they prefer to drink,” said Dykes.
Join IDFA in advocating for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids act at www.idfa.org/advocate.
The Morning Consult poll was conducted between September 24-26, 2024, among a sample of 681 Parents with children in public school. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Parents with children in public school based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. The interviews were conducted online. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.
