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Stefanik and Harder Lead Bipartisan Letter to USDA Against Proposed Rule to Ban Flavored Milk in Schools

Press Release

Date: June 7, 2023
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Minors and Children Agriculture and Food

"School nutrition programs provide students across the country with critical access to healthy meals, including nutritious flavored and unflavored milk options. Research has repeatedly proven that flavored milk in schools is an indispensably important tool for successfully delivering milk's nutrients to school-aged children, and USDA must work to ensure this access continues.

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"School meals provide 77% of total daily milk consumption and 70% of total dairy consumption for low-income children ages 5 to 18. We urge USDA in its final rule to protect kids' unparalleled access to the uniquely dense and complex nutrient package milk provides. Currently, children do not consume the recommended levels of dairy. USDA must not exacerbate this concerning deficiency by placing further restrictions on dairy in schools. We implore USDA to continue to fully allow non-fat and low-fat flavored milk in grades K-12 and exclude flavored milk from the weekly added sugars limit in order to ensure our children have access to the nutrients they need."


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