U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-NY-19, announced Thursday that he voted to pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which allows unflavored and flavored whole and two-percent milk to be offered in school cafeterias. Molinaro sponsored the bipartisan bill alongside U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, and Rep. Kim Schrier, a Washington Democrat.
The House passed the bill by a vote of 330 to 99. It now heads to the Senate.
Since 2012, whole and two-percent varieties of milk have been banned from federal school meal programs. Under current law, schools can only offer milk that is fat-free or low-fat. The law also prohibits schools from offering flavored milk unless it is fat-free.
According to a media release from Molinaro’s office, “Limiting kids’ access to more flavorful milk choices has led to a severe decline in milk consumption among school aged children in recent years, depriving students of essential nutrients and restricting access to healthy alternatives to sugary beverages that kids actually enjoy.”
At Molinaro’s farm “listening sessions” in Broome County, Columbia Countya and Ulster County, “participants criticized this law for hurting dairy farmers and restricting the ability of students to choose a nutritious dairy product,” the release said.
“I promised to open up markets for farmers, fight milk bans, and get nutritious dairy products back in schools – I delivered by working across party lines,” Molinaro said. “This bipartisan bill will support our farmers and ensure children have access to a wider range of nutritious dairy options in schools.”