Representative John W. Mannion's Legislation to Support Nutrition in Schools & NY Dairy Farmers Passes Out of Committee with Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative John W. Mannion (NY-22) today continued his strong support for students and New York dairy farmers by helping to advance the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act through the Education and Workforce Committee. Mannion’s legislation will give students access to more milk options produced locally by New York dairy farms at school. 

Representative John W. Mannion said, “As a teacher for nearly thirty years and a strong advocate for New York’s free school meals program, I cosponsored this legislation because students need proper nutrition to succeed. New York is one of the largest dairy producers in the country and kids can’t learn on empty stomachs. Ensuring that schools have the flexibility to offer a variety of milk choices will support children’s health and academic performance while providing a boost for dairy farmers across Central New York and the Mohawk Valley.” 

Gregg Doud, president and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation said, “We are grateful to Rep. John Mannion, D-NY, for cosponsoring and helping to advance the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act at today’s Education & Workforce Committee markup. This critical legislation will increase kids’ access to milk’s vital nutrients. Most kids and adolescents are not meeting daily dairy intake recommendations, according to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Scientific Report released in December. It’s vital that we take action to provide students with access to the popular, nutrient-dense milk options they will consume. We look forward to continuing to work with Representative Mannion to get this important child nutrition effort over the finish line.”    

Since 2012, federal regulations have prohibited schools from serving whole milk, leading to a significant decline in school milk consumption. Between 2014 and 2016, schools served 213 million fewer half-pints of milk, despite rising public school enrollment. Today, children over the age of four are not meeting the recommended daily dairy intake as outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans—a concerning trend given the well-documented benefits of milk consumption, including stronger bone health, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. 

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act does not require schools to change the milk they serve but gives local schools more options to purchase whole milk from local dairy farmers, ensuring that school meal programs can be tailored to meet students’ nutritional needs and preferences.  Introduced by Representative GT Thompson (R-PA) and Representative Kim Schrier (D-WA), the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act has support from nearly 100 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Mannion. Identical, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Marshall, Welch, McCormick, and Fetterman.

In the New York State legislature, Congressman Mannion led efforts to ease government regulations during a nationwide milk carton shortage to allow schools to continue to serve milk to students.  

According to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the dairy industry is the largest single segment of New York's agricultural industry. The state has more than 3,500 dairy farms, is the fifth largest producer of milk, and is the largest producer of yogurt and cottage cheese. The dairy community in New York includes both large dairy operations and small, family run farms. It also boasts processing facilities of various types and sizes, from major global processing companies to small artisanal dairy product makers. 

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