U.S. Senate Passes Legislation to Expand Students’ Access to Plant-Based Milks
WASHINGTON, DC — The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and the Plant Based Foods Institute (PBFI) celebrate the U.S. Senate unanimously passing legislation to expand access to plant-based milks in the National School Lunch Program. This exciting step forward, included in the amended Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (S. 222), gives schools participating in the National School Lunch Program more flexibility to serve plant-based milks that are nutritionally equivalent to dairy milk. The legislation also allows parents and legal guardians, in addition to licensed physicians, to provide a written statement to guarantee that their students receive a non-dairy substitute for cow’s milk at school.
“We applaud the U.S. Senate for advancing improvements to the National School Lunch Program that will expand students’ access to plant-based milks while also cutting down on taxpayer waste,” said Marjorie Mulhall, senior director of policy at the Plant Based Foods Association. “U.S. plant-based milk producers stand ready to provide schools with delicious offerings that meet students’ nutritional needs.”
The National School Lunch Program serves approximately 30 million U.S. students per year. Under current law, students are only guaranteed a substitute for dairy milk if a parent provides a physician’s note documenting a disability, and schools are prohibited from proactively offering plant-based milks on the lunch line. This has resulted in millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars spent each year serving dairy milk to students who don’t drink it, whether due to lactose intolerance or other conditions and dietary preferences. Indeed, a 2019 USDA study found that 29% of school milk cartons are thrown away by kids, untouched.
“Students deserve choices at school that reflect the way families eat today,” said Sanah Baig, executive director of the Plant Based Foods Institute. “This legislation respects parents’ choices, provides kids with more options, and strengthens American agriculture. By allowing schools to offer nutritionally equivalent plant-based milks alongside dairy milk, the Senate is unlocking new markets for American farmers that grow soy, nuts, peas, oats, and other nutritious crops used to make these products."
Fortified plant-based milks provide a much-needed option to deliver the nutrition that students need. Expanding access can also create meaningful opportunities for U.S. farmers and rural communities. As more schools offer students plant-based options, domestic demand will grow for the crops that serve as the foundation of these foods. This opens additional revenue streams for farmers, supports diversification to manage risk, and enables producers to respond to evolving customer demand at home and in export markets.
PBFA and PBFI look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. House and the Trump Administration to ensure that this legislation is enacted soon.
