Members of the New York State Senate’s Agricultural Committee, including Sen. Pam Helming, R-54 of Canandaigua, are pushing to reintroduce whole and 2% milk in schools.
They’ve reached out to the state’s congressional delegation, promoting the nutritional benefits of higher-fat milk variants. Currently, schools can only offer low-fat or fat-free milk options.
Advocates argue that whole milk, with its 3.25% fat content, surpasses the benefits of its low-fat counterparts.
This proposal seeks to amend the Farm Bill to grant schools the autonomy to choose milk types. Senators contend that post the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which emphasized low-fat dairy, approximately 1.2 million fewer students chose milk for their lunches. T
However, while the merits of whole milk are being championed, some nutritionists remain divided, with the state Department of Health endorsing low-fat and fat-free options for those over two years of age.
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