This week, Congressman Tom Marino (PA-10) introduced H.R. 5640, The “WHOLE MILK Act.” H.R. 5640 would amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program to serve unflavored whole milk.
Congressman Marino also sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue asking the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update guidelines to the National School Lunch Program, allowing schools to sell unflavored whole milk during lunch.
Under the Obama Administration, schools participating in the National School Lunch Program were barred from selling unflavored whole milk and could only sell one percent unflavored milk.
Congressman Marino issued the following statement:
“When the Obama Administration changed the National School Lunch Program to allow only one percent unflavored milk to be sold during school lunches they claimed to be doing a service for our school children. We saw the complete opposite, children stopped drinking milk in school and food waste went up. Numerous studies have shown consuming unflavored whole milk to be a good way to prevent childhood obesity and help your body absorb more vitamins. This bill will not only help our children get the proper nutrition they need to lead a healthy lifestyle but will also help America’s dairy farmers who have been struggling with stagnant milk prices. I strongly urge my colleagues in the House to support this bill.”
