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The US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry has advanced provisions to increase the accessibility of non-dairy milk options in schools.
The bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was initially introduced to allow schools to offer a wider variety of dairy milk options, including whole or full-fat milk. However, the bill has since been amended to make nutritious dairy-free milks more available, too.
Currently, students are only guaranteed alternatives, such as fortified soy milk, if parents have submitted a doctor’s note detailing a condition like lactose intolerance. Schools are prohibited from offering dairy-free alternatives proactively, creating additional work and “red tape” for families and schools.
If enacted into law, the act will legally require schools to provide dairy-free alternatives for students who can’t consume dairy, but it will also allow schools to make non-dairy milk available to all students.
Dairy allergies are extremely common in the US, particularly amongst children and young people, and lactose intolerance disproportionately impacts people of color. Nonprofit health organization the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) previously referred to the promotion of dairy milk in national dietary guidelines as “dietary racism.”
“Putting parents in charge of their children’s nutrition at school is long overdue,” said PCRM president and medical doctor Neal Barnard in a statement. “If Congress truly wants schools to serve milks that best meet their students’ needs, soy milk and other healthy non-dairy options should be easily available to all who want them.”
Read more: Plant-Based Diets Represent ‘Significant Opportunity’ To Address Global Challenges, Says Study
Students should have access to the ‘nutrition they need to thrive’
PCRM, Friends of the Earth, and other members of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition said that the updated Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act follows years of advocacy for meat and dairy-free options, as well as “leadership” from members of Congress such as Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.), and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)
“All students should be able to access the nutrition they need to thrive and receive beverages they can actually drink,” said Chloë Waterman, senior program manager at Friends of the Earth. “Removing barriers for students to access non-dairy milk options will help school meals align more with dietary science, expand healthy choices for families, and reduce food waste. Thank you to the Senate Agriculture Committee members for their leadership to ensure equitable access to nutritionally appropriate beverages at school.”
In Spain, schools are now legally required to make fruit, vegetables, and vegan options available to students at every meal served onsite, both to provide healthy, nutrient-dense foods and to promote sustainability. Meanwhile, the UK’s Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski recently called for plant-based meals to be the default option for school dinners.
Read more: Hundreds More US Hospitals To Get Plant-Based Meals By 2026
