Healthy School Milk Commitment receives major endorsement

Something really important happened on Feb. 26. I want to put a spotlight on it, as opposed to solely placing it as a news write up on www.dairyfoods.com.

The International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) Healthy School Milk Commitment was officially recognized at a special event organized at the White House, which endorses a new set of commitments under the Biden-Harris administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. IDFA’s Healthy School Milk Commitment is a pledge by 37 school milk processors representing approximately 95% of the school milk volume in the United States to provide healthy, nutritious school milk options with no more than 10 grams of added sugar per 8-ounce serving. This is consistent with the latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ahead of current school meal nutrition guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The commitment also includes milk provided to USDA’s Summer Food Service Program meal sites, a federally funded program that provides healthy meals and snacks to up to 3.2 million low-income children and teens during the summer months when schools are out of session and access to consistent, daily nutrition is limited.

The outcome of the endorsement by the White House and senior Biden-Harris administration officials of this commitment is that “we are much closer to preserving wholesome, nutritious flavored milk in our nation’s school meals program for students in all grades,” Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA, states in a news release. “Last year, USDA proposed eliminating flavored milk entirely from the meals program or limiting its availability to just some grades.

Since IDFA and the 37 processors associated with this effort announced the Healthy School Milk Commitment in April 2023, USDA officials have lauded the effort as a positive example of industry stepping up to meet the department’s goals of healthier school meals. School nutrition organizations and health groups have also supported the effort.”

According to surveys among school milk processors conducted by IDFA and Prime Consulting, the level of added sugars in flavored milk products has declined by 55% between 2006 and 2023, from 16.7 grams per 8-ounce serving in 2006 to 7.5 grams of added sugar per serving in 2023 as milk processors signed on to the commitment and began reformulating products in advance of the 2025 school year, IDFA states.

“Calories associated with flavored milk have declined during that same period, as well, from 166 to 125 calories per 8-ounce serving, for a reduction of 41 calories. Meanwhile, parents of school-age children continue to be big supporters of offering flavored milk in schools today,” Dykes stresses. “In a survey by Morning Consult, commissioned by IDFA conducted between June 9 and 11, 2023, among a sample of 441 parents with children in public schools, 89% agree that non-fat or low-fat flavored milk should remain an option in public school meals.”

The White House endorsement is rare. Dykes was invited to Washington, D.C., along with IDFA members HP Hood and Agri-Mark dairy cooperative. HP Hood provides a host of dairy products to consumers across the country, including school milk in the Northeastern United States. Hood’s school milk products are sourced in part from Agri-Mark dairy farms.

As mentioned, many other dairy processors have signed on to the commitment. There are too many to name here, but this list includes Dairy Farmers of America, Prairie Farms Dairy, Danone North America, Darigold, Borden, Crystal Creamery, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association and Wawa.

Now, this is definitely something to write home about. DF

Brian Berk is editor-in-chief of Dairy Foods. Contact him at 516-402-1369 or berkb@bnpmedia.com.