Last week, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 became law, ultimately permitting school food service programs that participate in the National School Lunch Program to sell whole milk to students once again.
What did the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 do?
The act “revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA).” For the past 10+ years, federal nutrition guidelines limited the sale of milk in schools to low-fat and fat-free milk. Now, school districts can sell whole milk as well.
Is Greenville getting whole milk?
Our Food Service Manager, Tracy Churchill, shared, “I have every intention of adding whole milk to our cafeterias.” Upon learning that the Whole Milk for Health Kids Act of 2025 passed, Churchill reached out to the District’s current milk distributor to inquire about their ability to supply whole milk.
When will Greenville get whole milk?
While Churchill and the District are actively working on securing a whole milk supplier, this process doesn’t happen overnight. “We have already signed an agreement with our dairy supplier for the school year. In order to add whole milk, we will likely have to put out a new bid and find a company to supply and deliver it to our District,” shared Assistant Superintendent for Business, Todd Hilgendorff.
Why does this process take so long?
A school can’t go to the grocery store to purchase whole milk for students. The product needs to come from a dairy or milk distributor that can adjust its supplies to meet this new statewide demand. After that, the companies capable of meeting the new need must submit a bid to the District. When a bid is selected, the District can enter into a contract to provide whole milk to students.
For now, the school cafeterias will continue to offer the same milk options that have been available all year. When whole milk becomes available, the District will share that information with families. Thank you for your patience and support as we work to expand healthy choices for our students.