Watch: Trump signs law to put whole milk back in school lunches

Whole milk is making a return to school cafeterias across the country after President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday that repeals Obama-era restrictions on high-fat milk options.

Watch the signing ceremony in the video player above.

Nondairy beverages like fortified soy milk may also be on the menu in the coming months following the adoption of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which Congress approved in the fall.

The measure allows schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to serve 2% whole milk alongside the fat-free and low-fat products required since 2012.

“Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, whole milk is a great thing,” Trump said at a signing ceremony at the White House that included lawmakers, dairy farmers and their children.

The law also allows schools to offer nondairy milk that meets nutritional standards for milk and requires schools to offer a nondairy milk substitute if children provide a note from their parents, not just doctors, stating they have dietary restrictions.

The signing comes days after the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasizes the consumption of full-fat dairy products as part of a healthy diet. Previous editions advised that consumers older than 2 years should consume low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

Read more: Here’s what the new dietary guidelines from the Trump administration include

Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture sent out a social media post showing Trump holding a glass of milk and a “milk mustache” that read: “Drink whole milk.”

The change could take effect as soon as this fall, though school nutrition and dairy industry officials said it could take longer for some schools to gauge demand for full-fat dairy products and adjust supply chains.

The return of 2 percent whole milk to school meals, long sought by the dairy industry, runs counter to provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by former first lady Michelle Obama. Passed more than a dozen years ago, the law was intended to slow obesity and promote health by reducing children’s consumption of saturated fat and calories in high-fat milk.

Nutritionists, lawmakers and the dairy industry have argued that whole milk is a delicious, nutritious food that has been unfairly maligned, and that some studies suggest that children who drink it are less likely to develop obesity than those who drink lower-fat options. Critics also said that many children do not like the taste of low-fat milk and do not drink it, leading to nutritional loss and food waste.

The change affects nearly 30 million children in school

The new rules will change the meals provided to about 30 million students enrolled in the National School Lunch Program.

Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the new law “a long overdue correction to school nutrition policy.” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she overhauled Michelle Obama’s “short-sighted campaign to eliminate whole milk.”

Schools will be required to provide students with a range of liquid milk options, which can now include organic or conventional whole milk, flavored and unflavored, 2%, 1%, and lactose-free milk, as well as non-dairy options that meet nutritional standards.

The new dietary guidelines call for “full-fat dairy products with no added sugars,” which would preclude chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milks allowed under a recent update to school meal standards. Agriculture officials will need to translate this recommendation into specific requirements for schools to eliminate flavored milk.

The new law exempts milk fat from being considered part of the federal requirement that saturated fats average less than 10% of calories in school meals.

One leading nutrition expert, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University, said there is “no meaningful benefit” in choosing low-fat dairy products over high-fat dairy. He added that the saturated fatty acids in dairy products have a different composition than other fats, such as cow fat, in addition to different beneficial compounds that can compensate for the theoretical damage.

“Saturated fat in dairy products has not been linked to any adverse health outcomes,” Mozaffarian said in an interview.

Changes in the federal nutrition program after the Obama-era law slowed the rise in obesity among American children, including teens, research shows.

But some nutrition experts point to more recent research suggesting that children who drink whole milk may be less likely to be overweight or obese than children who drink low-fat milk. A 2020 review of 28 studies suggested the risk was 40% lower for children who drank whole milk, although the authors noted they could not say whether milk consumption was the cause.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.