Trump Signs Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, Reversing Obama-Era School Nutrition Rules

President Donald Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act into law Wednesday, reversing Obama-era restrictions that had limited schools to offering only fat-free and low-fat milk options.

The legislation allows schools to once again serve whole milk and 2% milk as part of their lunch programs, ending policies established under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act during the Obama administration.

“With this legislation, schools will finally be able to expand their offerings to include nutritious whole milk,” Trump said during the signing ceremony. “This is the perfect follow-up to the new Real Food pyramid.”

The bill also simplifies the process for parents to request milk substitutes for their children, eliminating the previous requirement for a doctor’s written statement. Trump called the former policy “rather ridiculous,” emphasizing that the new law allows “parents to choose what is best for their child.”

The change aligns with the administration’s recently released revised food pyramid, part of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. This approach represents a significant shift in federal nutrition guidance.

Kennedy, who attended the signing, defended whole milk as beneficial rather than harmful to children’s development. “The panoply of nutrients in whole milk is critical to brain development and physical development in our children,” he stated. The HHS Secretary linked the rise in childhood obesity and diabetes rates over the past 15 years to the removal of whole milk from school menus.

Scientific research appears to support this position. A 2020 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by University of Toronto professors found an association between higher cow’s milk fat consumption and lower body-fat levels in children ages 1 to 18.

Dr. Neha Pathak, chief physician editor for WebMD, explained that different types of milk primarily vary by fat content. “As you go down in milk fat percentage, you generally get fewer calories and less saturated fat, while protein and calcium stay broadly similar,” she noted. Pathak added that while plant-based alternatives have grown in popularity, most contain less protein than cow’s milk, with the exceptions of soy and pea milk.

Dr. Ben Carson, the USDA’s national advisor for nutrition, health and housing, emphasized whole milk’s importance for developing brains. “Children’s brains are growing so rapidly, and milk provides the healthy fats that are essential for brain development,” Carson said. He also highlighted whole milk as “a high-quality protein that helps kids have strong bones and teeth with its vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus content.”

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel pointed out additional benefits of whole milk beyond its nutritional profile. “[Whole milk] offers more protein, calcium, vitamin D and minerals that are good for you, and it promotes satiety, which may keep you from overeating,” Siegel said. He suggested it might also decrease the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

The signing represents a notable reversal of nutrition policy that had been in place for more than a decade. The Obama administration’s restrictions on milk fat content were part of broader efforts to combat childhood obesity by reducing calories and fat in school meals. However, the current administration argues that the well-intentioned policy had unintended consequences, potentially contributing to rather than solving nutrition problems.

This policy change reflects the ongoing debate among nutrition experts about the role of dietary fat in health outcomes. While low-fat approaches dominated nutritional guidance for decades, more recent research has suggested that certain fats may play important roles in satiety, brain development, and overall health—particularly when compared to the processed carbohydrates and sugars that often replace them in reduced-fat diets.