US Senate poised to expand non-dairy milk access in schools

The US Senate Agriculture Committee is advancing legal provisions to amend the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act to expand student accessibility to non-dairy beverages in public schools. Advocacy organizations have hailed the changes, noting that lactose-intolerant students could now have nutritionally appropriate beverage options. 

If adopted, the new law would allow schools to offer nutritionally equivalent non-dairy milk to all students without requiring medical documentation. They would also require schools to provide a substitute for cow’s milk for any student whose parent submits a request based on a disability, which the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers to include lactose intolerance.

Current federal regulations require students to provide a physician’s note confirming a disability to receive a non-dairy milk alternative like fortified soy milk. Authorities have also restricted schools from proactively offering such alternatives during meal service.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in DC, says such rules place a burden on families and disproportionately impact communities of color, many of whom have such intolerances.

“Putting parents in charge of their children’s nutrition at school is long overdue. As is removing the unnecessary red tape that prevents students from being served healthy non-dairy milk at school,” says Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, president of the Physicians Committee.

“If Congress truly wants schools to serve milk that best meets their students’ needs, soy milk and other healthy non-dairy options should be easily available to all who want them.”

Pushing plant-based

The amendments are part of a broader legislative push to expand plant-based options in US school meal programs.

“All students should be able to access the nutrition they need to thrive and receive beverages they can actually drink,” says Chloë Waterman, senior program manager at Friends of the Earth.

“Removing barriers for students to access non-dairy milk options will help school meals align more with dietary science, expand healthy choices for families, and reduce food waste.”

Meanwhile, in March, USDA cut two federal programs that gave over US$1 billion in funding to schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranches, limiting fresh and local menu options.

NGOs nationwide have been calling on supporters to urge Congress to reject the proposed cuts that threaten school meal programs.