Chocolate Milk Remains in Schools as USDA Abandons Ban Proposal
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will not proceed with its previous proposal to prohibit the sale of flavored milk in elementary and middle schools. Instead, the USDA will implement a limit on added sugars in flavored milk starting in the fall of 2025.
The initial proposal to ban flavored milk stemmed from concerns about its high sugar content. One carton of flavored milk typically contains between 6 to 16 grams of added sugar. The American Medical Association supported the proposal, expressing concerns that increasing the availability of flavored milk would contribute to childhood obesity rates.
However, the proposal faced intense opposition from parents and industry groups who argued that a ban on flavored milk would be detrimental to children and would result in decreased milk consumption. Dairy farmers also expressed their disapproval of the proposed change.
In response to the backlash, the International Dairy Foods Association, representing the dairy industry, pledged to reduce added sugar in flavored milk to 10 grams per 8-ounce serving by the 2025 school year. This commitment, while modest, would still allow children consuming one chocolate milk per day to consume approximately 40% of the daily added sugar intake recommended by the American Heart Association.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the industry’s voluntary commitments to cut sugar levels influenced the regulators’ decision to reverse their stance. He did not address the public backlash or complaints from parents.
The USDA’s new school meal standards also significantly water down the agency’s previous proposal to reduce sodium in school meals. Lawmakers included a provision in a must-pass government funding bill that prevented the USDA from further reducing sodium levels in school meals.
The USDA had previously proposed that schools reduce sodium in lunches by 10% each school year from 2025 to 2029. However, the new standards mandate a single sodium reduction of 15% for lunch by 2027.
