Fresno, Clovis schools at odds with feds over new whole milk rules. Here are details
Resumen generado por IA y revisado por nuestra redacción.
- President signed Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act; USDA urged farmers to 'get ready'.
- Several Valley districts will keep 1% or skim milk while awaiting state guidance.
- Dairy groups tout long-term demand boost while some districts offer whole milk by request.
After a nearly 14-year absence, whole milk could be flowing once again in the nation’s public school cafeterias, but not every district is embracing the change.
In the central San Joaquin Valley, the heart of the state’s dairy industry, putting whole milk back on the menu is being met with some hesitancy, despite the federal government’s push to overhaul the food system with real, nutrient-dense food.
President Donald J. Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act on Jan. 14, calling it a win for local communities and parents, who can now make choices that best serve their kids.
Additionally, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urged the nation’s dairy farmers to “get ready” for boost in consumption.
”Let’s be clear—whole milk isn’t just another drink on a school lunch tray. It’s a nutrient-dense, affordable source of protein, calcium, vitamin D, and healthy fats that growing bodies and minds need to thrive,” she said in a news release.
But several Valley school districts said that for the moment they will stick to what they are doing now, which is providing 1% milk or flavored non-fat milk.
“At this time we do not plan to add whole milk to the menu,” said Amanda Jane Harvey, Nutrition Services Director.
Fresno Unified is the third-largest school district in the state, serving approximately 75,000 meals daily at 106 sites.
Harvey joins other school district nutrition directors in taking a wait-and-see approach to see if the state department of education provides any guidance on the issue.
Clovis Unified School District officials are also maintaining the status quo until they hear from the state.
“Clovis Unified School District will continue to follow California’s current fluid milk requirements by offering a variety of milk options, including low-fat (1%) and fat-free (skim) milk, including chocolate flavors...,” said Kelly Avants, district spokesperson.
For now, Central Unified School District does not plan to offer whole milk at any of its sites.
Regina Ocampo, Director of Nutritional Services at Visalia Unified, said the district will serve whole milk to a student if the parent or guardian requests it.
A spokesman for the California Department of Education said it is a “local decision for a school to offer whole milk at lunch.”
“This is because the January 14, 2026, policy letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that schools participating in the National School Lunch Program may offer students at lunch only the following fluid milk options: whole, reduced-fat (2%), low-fat (1%), and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk, and nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the USDA nutritional standards for fluid milk substitutes,” said Nicholas Filipas, public information officer for the department of education.
The debate over whole milk was spurred by the Make America Healthy Again movement and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has said whole milk should no longer be viewed as a high-fat danger to children.
Whole milk was eliminated from school menus in 2012 during the Barrack Obama Administration out of concern it was contributing to childhood obesity and other health related issues.
In its place, 1% milk and non-fat flavored milk was added to the school lunch menu whose nutritional guidelines are established by the federal government.
New research, dairy experts say, provides a better understanding of dietary fats.
“Studies show that it does not contribute more to heart disease or diabetes,” said Amy DeLisio, chief executive officer of the Dairy Council of California.
DeLisio added that whole milk gives children important nutrients, including potassium, calcium and vitamin D.
Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive officer of Western United Dairies, said that while the new legislation may not provide immediate relief for dairy operators hurt by rising costs, it could prove beneficial in the long run.
“It is a welcome relief towards satisfying the next generation of milk drinkers who will be able to enjoy a more nutritious, more nutrient dense glass of milk,” said Raudabaugh. “Farmers are concerned that the school children these days are not getting the full taste of whole milk. They might be drinking something that tastes like water.”
