Whole milk is returning to some local school cafeterias for the first time in more than a decade after a federal law signed in January opened the door for it to be served again at lunch.
Some schools have started stocking whole milk in cafeteria coolers for the first time in nearly 15 years following passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. In the Cambria Heights School District, Superintendent Ken Kerchenske said the district decided to offer it as an option at lunchtime.
“We thought there was certainly no harm in offering whole milk to our students, so if it’s something the kids want to take, it’s offered here at our cafeteria at lunch time,”
Even with the change, a restriction remains: Whole milk can be offered at lunch, but not at breakfast under current federal regulations.
“Schools can offer whole milk at lunch. Right now it cannot be offered at breakfast according to the federal regulations,”
Local dairy farmers said they want that part of the law addressed, but they are glad whole milk is again an option for students. Carissa Itle Westrick, director of business development at Vale Wood Farms, said bringing whole milk back is about more than choice.
“We’re just so glad for the opportunity to reintroduce our school neighbors to different varieties of dairy products in the school,”
Westrick said milk served in schools can shape students’ preferences long-term.
“I think what’s important is milk that a student gets in a school lunch line is one of their first experiences with dairy, so when a student takes the milk at a school lunch, you’re really looking to develop a dairy consumer for life,”
Dairy farmers also said expanded whole milk offerings could help local producers while giving students another option. Westrick said local consumers and students benefit from having multiple local dairies available.
“Viewers in your area are very lucky in that whether they’re a consumer buying from the store or school students walking through the cafeteria line, they have a choice of different local dairies to provide them with farm-fresh milk. And at the end of the day, that’s what this is really all about, is providing our local consumers with better tasting dairy options,”