S. 222 · Where this bill is now
Became law
Public Law 119-69, Jan 14, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryAdds whole milk options to school lunch program
This bill changes what milk schools can serve in the National School Lunch Program. Right now, schools can only offer fat-free or low-fat milk, but this bill would let them also serve whole milk and reduced-fat milk, in both flavored and unflavored versions. It also expands nondairy milk options and requires school food service workers to get annual training on food allergies.
How it affects you
If you have kids in school, they'd have more milk choices at lunch, including higher-fat options. Schools would no longer have to follow the most recent dietary guidelines when deciding what milk to offer. Parents or guardians of students with disabilities would also be able to request milk substitutes instead of requiring a doctor's written statement. The bill doesn't directly affect most other people.
Read the official summary (Public Law, Jan 14, 2026)
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025
This act revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow schools to offer students whole and reduced-fat milk. The act also requires that local school food service personnel receive annual training and certification on food allergies.
The act permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat (2%), low-fat (1%), and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk. The milk that is offered may be organic or nonorganic. Currently, USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. The act also removes the requirement that schools participating in the program must provide milk that is consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The act also expands the nondairy beverages that are included in the program by allowing schools to offer all students nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and that meet nutritional standards established by USDA.
Further, schools currently must provide a substitute for fluid milk, on receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician, for students whose disability restricts their diet. Under the act, a parent or legal guardian may also provide the written statement.
In addition, the act excludes fluid milk from the saturated fat content calculation for school meals. Currently, schools participating in the program must provide meals that meet certain nutrition requirements; USDA regulations require that the average saturated fat content of the meals offered must be less than 10% of the total calories. Under the act, milk fat included in any fluid milk provided by the program must not be considered saturated fat for the purposes of measuring compliance with USDA regulations.
Finally, the program's mandatory training and certification for local school food service personnel must include a module on food allergies, including information on the best practices to prevent, recognize, and respond to food-related allergic reactions. Food service personnel must receive an annual certification to demonstrate competence in the food allergies training and other training modules that are provided.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 222
AN ACT
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) · Introduced Jan 23, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 14, 2026: “Became Public Law No: 119-69.”