WASHINGTON—The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is supporting a bill that would require milk served in school lunches to be lowfat or nonfat. The bill would also allow more schools to qualify for the USDA milk reimbursement program and create a pilot program to help schools switch to lowfat cheeses. The bill has been referred to the House Education and Labor Committee for review.
Introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney, (D-CT), co-chair of the U.S. House Dairy Caucus, the Healthy Milk and Dairy Choices in Schools Act of 2010 would require milk served in school lunches to be consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines in the Untied States. This provision has been broadly proposed and supported by a variety of organizations, including the American Dietetic Association, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the National Milk Producers Federation and the School Nutrition Association.
"IDFA commends Reps. Courtney and DeLauro for taking these steps to ensure that more school-age kids will get the calcium they need for building strong bones," said Ruth Saunders, IDFA vice president of policy and legislative affairs. "And expanding the milk reimbursement program will allow more schools to provide nutrient-rich beverages in place of lower-cost, but nutrient-void alternatives."
