S-222 — Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025

This bill became law on 2026-01-14 as Public Law No. 119-69.

The summary below describes the bill at the version we last reviewed; the enacted text may differ.

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your MoneyWorkers & Jobs

Schools can now serve whole milk — and parents can sign the note for a milk substitute.

Your Money

Milk choices in school lunches — whole milk now allowed

Schools may now put whole milk on the lunch line, flavored or unflavored, organic or not. Low-fat and fat-free milk are still served, and schools cannot block the sale of these drinks on campus.

Parent's note for milk substitutes — doctor's note no longer required

This note asks the school for a substitute when a child's disability limits their diet. A parent or legal guardian can sign it now, so the family does not need a doctor visit.

Nondairy milk options at school — no written request needed

Nondairy drinks must match milk for calcium, protein, and vitamins A and D. If a school offers them to all students, families skip the written request step.

Federal nutrition guidelines for school milk — no longer required to match

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the government's advice on healthy eating. School milk used to have to match them. That link is now gone from the law.

Saturated fat limits on school meals — milk fat no longer counts

School meals must keep average saturated fat under a set share of calories. Milk fat is now left out of that math, so milk cannot push a meal over the limit.

Workers & Jobs

Food allergy training for cafeteria staff — prevent and respond to reactions

School cafeteria staff already take required training each year. Food allergies are now one of the subjects. Staff learn how to prevent a reaction, spot one, and respond.

Yearly sign-off on cafeteria staff training — covers more subjects now

Each year, staff must show they know the material they were trained on. That yearly check now covers more of the required training subjects than before.

More about this bill

If your child eats school lunch, there are more milk choices now. Schools may serve whole milk, flavored or unflavored, organic or not. Low-fat and fat-free milk stay on the menu. Schools may also offer lactose-free milk and nondairy drinks. Those drinks must match milk for calcium, protein, and vitamins A and D. The change became law in January 2026. Two paperwork rules got easier. A parent or guardian can now sign the note asking for a milk substitute. Before, only a doctor could sign it. That note is for a child whose disability limits their diet. When a school offers nondairy drinks to all students, no written request is needed. The law also removes two nutrition limits. School milk no longer has to match the federal Dietary Guidelines. And milk fat no longer counts toward the saturated fat limit for a meal. Cafeteria staff must also learn how to handle food allergies.

Congressional Summary

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.

Legislative Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory proceduresChild healthDepartment of AgricultureElementary and secondary educationFood assistance and reliefNutrition and diet

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Public Law
Action Date: 2026-01-14
Date Added: 2026-06-19
Source: Congress.gov →

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