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Good news whole milk fans! The Senate Agriculture Committee has scheduled a hearing to mark up and vote on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act next Tuesday, June 3. This is the grassroots legislation that would allow school cafeterias to serve whole or two percent milk and still qualify for USDA school meal reimbursements (currently USDA nutrition guidelines dictate what foods can be served and qualify for reimbursement).
The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 330-99 in 2023. That bill then languished in the Senate as the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman, Debbie Stabenow, objected to the bill. But Senate Stabenow has retired and the leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee now consists of Republican John Boozeman of Arkansas and Democrat Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. Senator Klobuchar is also a co-sponsor of the bill in the Senate.
This Tuesday will be the first time the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act has received a vote of any kind in the Senate. The bill is currently sponsored by 15 Senators: 10 Republicans, 4 Democrats, and 1 Independent.
Georgia’s own Sen. Raphael Warnock sits on the Agriculture Committee and has not taken a position on the bill yet. GMP has discussed the bill with his staff multiple times and shared that GMP and Georgia dairy farmers are very supportive of this measure.
You Can Help
If you want to help push this bill across the goalline, you can write to Sen. Warnocks office using the link below. Using the contact form on the senate website, put in your name and information, select “Agriculture” as your legislative issue, and put “Please Support Whole Milk for Healthy Kids” in the subject line.
In the comments, feel free to write your own custom message to the Senator’s staff or you can copy and paste the following:
“Dear Senator Warnock,
I am writing today to voice my support for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and ask that you support this measure in the Senate Agriculture Committee. Roughly 90 percent of the U.S. population does not currently meet the USDA’s recommendation for dairy consumption. Dairy is an essential part of our students’ diets as it serves as a nutrient dense source of 13 essential vitamins and nutrients to develop strong bones, teeth, and muscles. The fat present in whole milk also plays a vital role in brain development and overall growth. Most importantly, kids prefer whole milk, and school-based trials demonstrate that milk consumption increases and food waste decreases significantly when our kids are allowed to choose between whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and skim milk. Emerging research also suggests that saturated fats found in dairy foods help absorb fat-soluble vitamins and provide long-lasting energy.
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids will allow for increased choice in our school cafeterias and does not create a new mandate or requirement for our school nutrition personnel to follow. I believe it will be a win for our students, a win for our dairy farmers, and a win for our schools. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope you will support S.222.
Contact Our Senator’s Office
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