Dairy Stakeholders Evaluate Updated School Meal Regulations

Several dairy stakeholders this week praised final school meal regulations announced by USDA, noting that they preserve school milk options.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week announced major steps to promote the health of America’s children through school meals. Nutrition standards for school meals will be gradually updated to include less sugar and greater flexibility with menu planning between fall 2025 and fall 2027. The department arrived at these changes after listening closely to public feedback and considering the latest science-based recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), Vilsack says.

Impact Of New Rule On Food And Nutrition Security

The new rule continues the work of the Biden-Harris administration to address both food and nutrition security.

Advancements Toward National Nutrition Goals

The final rule is a significant step toward advancing the administration’s national strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030 set forth at the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022.

Enhancements And Challenges In Updated School Meal Regulations

“The new standards build on the great progress that school meals have made already and address remaining challenges, including reducing sugar in school breakfasts,” says USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long. “These updates also make it easier for schools to access locally sourced products, benefiting both schools and the local economy.”

Implementation Of Added Sugars Limit In School Meals

For the first time, added sugars will be limited in school meals nationwide, with small changes happening by fall 2025 and full implementation by fall 2027. USDA heard concerns from parents and teachers about excessive amounts of added sugars in some foods, which factored into this new limit. Research shows that these added sugars most commonly are found in typical school breakfast items. Child care operators also will begin limiting added sugars in cereals and yogurts — rather than total sugars — by fall 2025.

Continued Availability Of Essential Nutrients Through School Milk

Schools can continue to offer flavored and unflavored milk, which provide essential nutrients that children need, such as calcium, vitamin D and potassium. There will be a new limit on added sugars in flavored milk served at breakfast and lunch by fall 2025.

IDFA’s Response To New Dairy Standards In Schools

Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), notes the updated rule preserves the ability for schools across the country to serve nutritious flavored milk to students in all grades as long as the product meets IDFA’s Healthy School Milk Commitment guidelines, which ensure an 8-ounce half pint of nonfat or low-fat flavored milk contains no more than 10 grams of added sugar per serving. IDFA established the commitment in early 2023 with 37 school milk processors. Today, the average added sugar level is 7.5 grams per serving for flavored milk in schools, well below the USDA threshold.

Advocating For Diverse Milk Options In School Nutrition Programs

“School meals are a nutrition lifeline for millions of children across the United States. The final meal pattern rules released by USDA will expand dairy options that appeal to children by providing a variety of healthy, nutritious and delicious dairy options that meet the needs of kids of all backgrounds. For example, approximately 70% of all milk consumed in school meals is flavored milk. By offering nutritious flavored milk options in grades K-12 consistent with IDFA’s Healthy School Milk Commitment, parents and school foodservice directors can have confidence that America’s students will get the same essential nutrients with fewer calories and less added sugars than ever before,” Dykes says. “Thanks to the leadership of America’s milk processors, flavored milk in schools today is fully consistent with the latest federal Dietary Guidelines. These options provide the same 13 essential nutrients as unflavored milk, reduce plate waste and encourage greater meal participation. IDFA also commends the bipartisan members of Congress who passed legislation earlier this year that required the department to maintain flavored milk in school meals at all grade levels as part of its final rule.”

Emphasis On Lactose-Free Milk Options In Schools

Dykes adds IDFA was pleased that USDA’s rule re-emphasized lactose-free milk as an option in all reimbursable meals.

“Schools should offer lactose-free milk as a choice to all students, which would mark major progress for child health and nutrition equity in our school meals. Providing lactose-free milk, as well as other dairy products with low lactose content, will allow more school children, including those with lactose malabsorption or lactose intolerance, to choose a dairy option that meets their needs and provides all the same essential nutrients as traditional dairy,” Dykes says.

NMPF Supports Nutritious Milk Options In School Meals

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) also thanked USDA for solidifying the ability of schools to offer 1% and fat-free flavored milk in school meals for children of all ages in its final school nutrition standards rule.

“This final rule helps ensure kids will be able to choose a nutritious milk they tend to prefer,” says Gregg Doud, CEO and president of NMPF. “Many children prefer low-fat flavored milk over fat-free, and flavored milk offers the same nutrients as regular milk with a minor amount of added sugar.”

NMPF praised its member cooperatives for their tireless work to decrease the level of added sugar in flavored school milk, which now generally falls below the added sugar maximum established in this final rule.

“Not only does flavored milk offer the same nutrients as regular milk, its presence correlates with decreased waste in school cafeterias. I am proud of our industry’s successful commitment to providing a healthy product that kids want,” Doud says.

Future Directions And Legislative Support For School Meal Improvements

Meanwhile, under the final rule, schools will need to slightly reduce sodium content in their meals by fall 2027. In response to public comments, USDA only is requiring one sodium reduction and not the three incremental reductions that were proposed last year. USDA says this change still moves children in the right direction and gives schools and industry the lead time they need to prepare. The sodium limits in this final rule will be familiar to schools, as they were supported by leading school nutrition and industry stakeholders during previous rulemaking activities in 2017 and 2018.

Adjusting Sodium Levels In School Meal Regulations

“While IDFA had sought to exclude sodium used for food safety and functional purposes in cheese-making, IDFA appreciates USDA’s final rule maintaining current school meal sodium targets through school year 2026-27 before adopting a more attainable, and permanent, school meal sodium target,” Dykes says.

NMPF says it supports the final rule’s inclusion of sodium limits on school meals that will not be more restrictive than the Target 2 limits from the 2012 school meals rule, calling it a compromise.

Concerns Over Added Sugar Limits In School Meals

However, Dykes says despite these positive developments for child nutrition, IDFA is disappointed the final rule sets an added sugar limit for yogurt that is out of step with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines.

The Impact Of Dietary Guidelines On Yogurt Consumption

“The DGA is clear that added sugars may be used to increase the intake of nutrient-dense foods like yogurt. As an essential meat alternative for many children, consumption of yogurt has also been associated with higher diet quality in children, higher intake of multiple nutrients including calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin D, and lower incidence of cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents, particularly total and excess abdominal body fat,” Dykes says.

Missing Opportunities To Restore Whole Milk In School Meals

USDA also missed an opportunity to restore 2% and whole milk to school breakfast and lunch, he adds.

“A plethora of science demonstrates dairy fat is unique, unlike typical saturated fats, in delivering positive and neutral health outcomes to people across all demographics. IDFA will continue to work with policymakers and lawmakers to enact the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act ,” he says.

Ongoing Efforts To Enhance Milk Options Under School Meal Regulations

Doud notes that despite significant progress achieved in the final rule, the work to ensure adequate milk access in schools isn’t finished yet.

“NMPF supports the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which would restore whole and 2% varieties to school lunch menus,” he says.

Legislative Support For Milk Variety In School Meals

Led by Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Kim Schrier, D-Wash., the Healthy Kids Act legislation overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in December and awaits Senate approval.

Keep Up To Date On Cheese Industry News

Find all of HART Design & Manufacturing’s current industry news here.

Source: Cheese Market News