Latest news with #WholeMilkforHealthyKidsAct2025
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
‘Healthy snack time' with elementary school students launched by Secretaries Rollins, RFK Jr.
FIRST ON FOX - USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with elementary students in Alexandria, Virginia, for a "healthy snack time" on Thursday — marking a first-ever public "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) event as part of a joint and committed effort, Fox News Digital has been told exclusively. The secretaries met with students and cafeteria staff at Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School to talk about healthy food choices and improving children's wellness. "As part of the MAHA Commission led by Secretary Kennedy, this work will not only research and report the many reasons children face unbelievable rates of diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes, but how government can implement change through things like revised dietary policy, state innovation, and less regulation," said a press release sent exclusively to Fox News Digital. The MAHA Commission was initiated by HHS and USDA in the current Trump administration to advance a variety of initiatives and work with states on legislation to make schools healthier for America's children. From 2017 to 2020, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. children and adolescents was 19.7%, with 14.7 million children aged 2–19 years having obesity, according to the CDC. Secretary Rollins and Kennedy announced in March they would be releasing the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report ahead of its deadline. An initiative of the MAHA Commission is promoting whole and healthy foods sourced from local farms. "Our farmers, ranchers, and producers dedicate their lives to growing the safest, most abundant food supply in the world, and we need to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. There is a chronic health problem in our country, and American agriculture is at the core of the solution," said Sec. Rollins in the release sent to Fox News Digital. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act 2025 would revise requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the topic earlier this week. Current USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was acknowledged for supporting the MAHA movement, as a variety of bills have been put forward in the Old Dominion state. Bills such as those prohibiting people from selling baby food that contains toxic heavy metals to those prohibiting public schools from offering meals with seven color additives are connected to the broader MAHA movement. Sec. Kennedy said in the release that he "enocurages every governor to champion legislation that bans ultra-processed foods and dyes in public schools."
Fox News
02-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Whole milk should be back at schools, experts say: 'Nutrition science has evolved'
Legislators are working to bring milk choice back to schools, including more nutritious milk options such as whole and 2% milk. The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing Tuesday morning on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act 2025, which would revise requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Current USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored. "The bill modifies these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk," the legislation's summary says. Since 2012, whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk has been banned from school meals due to saturated fat and calorie content, according to The Associated Press. Matt Herrick, International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) executive vice president and chief impact officer, told Fox News Digital that "milk is one of the most nutritious, complete whole foods available." Herrick added, "Milk is more than 90% water, plus a minimal amount of healthy fat, and the rest are essential nutrients: protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) and cobalamin (B12), iodine, potassium, selenium and zinc. That's it." He continued, "When Americans shop at the grocery store, 83% of shoppers purchase whole and 2% milk for their families, meaning this is what children are getting at home." The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that children age 2 and older consume some amount of dairy milk daily. Pediatric nutritionist and clinical practitioner Keith T. Ayoob, Ed.D., testified on Capitol Hill, advocating for the passage of the bill. Ayoob shared in his testimony that lawmakers previously removed whole and reduced-fat milk "to keep saturated fat levels in school meals low, below 10% on average, to help reduce the risk of heart disease." He shared that "the body of credible nutrition science has evolved." It no longer supports the previous policy of only allowing fat-free and low-fat milk in schools. "A systematic review of studies that looked at cardiometabolic health in children ages 2 to 18 years found that consumption of dairy products, including whole and reduced-fat milk, had no association with cardiometabolic risk," Ayoob said. In his testimony, Ayoob continued, "Nutrition is not a static science. It is dynamic. It should be. We should constantly be learning, revising and fine-tuning our recommendations as credible science keeps evolving." Ayoob also stated there's "no correlation" between milk and obesity. "The correlation is inverse," he said. A spokesperson for MAHA Action, a 501c4 organization based outside Washington, D.C. — and one that creates reforms to America's public health policies — told Fox News Digital the group is in support of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. "We agree that whole milk is the healthiest option for kids," the spokesperson said. "Current science shows that healthy fats are critical to a balanced diet – and one of the best forms of healthy fats is whole milk."
Fox News
27-02-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Proposed bill to give schools freedom on milk choices amid MAHA push
Supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement are backing a bill that seeks to give schools more freedom when it comes to milk choices. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act 2025 was introduced by Representative Glenn Thompson (R-Penn) and would revise requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). "USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow milk to be flavored or unflavored," reads the bill's summary. "The bill modifies these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk," it continued. Schools would be given more freedom in the ability to offer organic or non-organic options while also looking at the nutritional value of milk. "Milk provides 13 essential nutrients that supplement growth and health, two key factors contributing to academic success. The Whole Milk for Health Kids Act of 2025 provides schools the flexibility they need to offer a variety of options," said Rep. Thompson, according to the Texas Farm Bureau. A spokesperson for MAHA Action, a 501c4 organization that creates reforms to America's public health policies, told Fox News Digital that the group is in support of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. "We agree that whole milk is the healthiest option for kids. Current science shows that healthy fats are critical to a balanced diet and one of the best forms of healthy fats is whole milk," said the spokesperson. A study published in June 2024 in Nutrition Research titled "Whole milk dairy foods and cardiometabolic health: dairy fat and beyond" found that dietary recommendations concerning dairy likely require greater precision. The study cited that dairy fat intakes are associated with neutral to beneficial cardiometabolic activities and the health benefits of dairy foods vary by fat content and product fermentation. In October, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on X that the "FDA's war on public health is about to end." Secretary Kennedy noted the "aggressive suppression" of peptides, vitamins and raw milk. Additionally, the bill would prohibit schools from purchasing or offering milk produced by Chinese state-owned businesses. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act was voted out of the Committee on Education and Workforce with bipartisan approval. Fox News Digital reached out to Rep. Thompson's office for comment.
