The ideas, which are available for public comment until April 10, 2023, incorporate the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Targeted are some of the most prevalent sources of added sugar and sodium, such as flavoured milk, which, according to the USDA, is the leading source of added sugars in both lunch and breakfast programmes, accounting for nearly half of the added sugars in lunches and approximately 30% of the added sugars in breakfasts*.
Currently, schools are mandated to provide fat-free and/or low-fat (1%) unflavored milk for breakfast and lunch, but schools may also provide fat-free and/or low-fat flavoured milk beverages.
Currently, the USDA proposes two possibilities. One option is to restrict the availability of flavoured milk to students in higher grades, i.e., high school students, while offering elementary and middle school students only fat-free and/or low-fat unflavored milk.
The other option, flavoured milk for everyone, would be to maintain the present standard while limiting the amount of added sugar in flavoured milk.
How does flavoured milk affect sugar and salt consumption during school meals?
According to a study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which analysed the nutritional content of milks served in US schools, all 29 flavoured milk samples contained between 95 and 250 milligrammes of sodium, or an average of 164 milligrammes, which is 48 percent of the DGA-aligned standard for K-5 breakfast. The sample with the greatest salt content was a flavoured milk product that had 250 mg.
The USDA intends to progressively reduce lunch programme goals for all school grades from 2025 to 2029, and breakfast programme goals from 2025 to 2027. For example, the revised salt limit for students in grades K-5 will be 1,000 mg for lunch beginning on July 1, 2025, and will decrease to 810 mg on July 1, 2029.
While there is no restriction on added sugars in school meals, the CSPI compared the sugar content of flavoured milks to DGA-aligned standards. Seven flavoured milk products supplied more than 100 percent of the DGA-aligned sugar requirement, whilst 13 other items contributed 80 percent or more. Six goods in the higher classes had 8 percent or more of the DGA-aligned sugar limit.
Now, the USDA is proposing to restrict the amount of added sugars in flavoured milks to 10g per 8oz of milk for goods provided at breakfast and lunch; a higher recommended limit is 15g of added sugars per 12oz of milk for products sold outside the meal for middle and high school kids.
The USDA wants added sugar to account for fewer than 10 percent of calories every meal, in addition to any product-specific limitations. The new regulation might be implemented beginning with the 2027/28 school year.
Snap verdict
The USDA’s two milk suggestions are unlikely to excite makers of flavoured dairy products. By not giving a flavoured alternative to younger kids, restricting the availability of flavoured milk to students in higher grades may be seen as an effort to restrict the market. And placing limitations on added sugar together with reduced salt recommendations will undoubtedly necessitate reformulation of some goods. Milk is crucial to the USDA’s efforts to enhance school nutrition, with the agency claiming that fat-free and low-fat milk in particular “contains critical elements that children need to develop and thrive.”
National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and International Dairy Foods Association have said that they are ‘seriously studying’ other proposed rules, such as the weekly added sugars and salt limitations, and will submit official comments.
Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, said, “Providing children with access to the nutritious meals they need to develop and concentrate in school is a top concern for dairy producers. Milk is the best source of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin D for children aged 2 to 18, and 1% flavoured milk is a nutrient-dense, low-fat beverage that students will consume. We are glad that the USDA is retaining low-fat flavoured milk in schools, giving children with an extra and preferred option for obtaining 13 key elements, including three of the four nutrients of public health significance. However, we wonder why the USDA would recommend school lunch choices that potentially restrict a child’s access to these nutrients and encourage them to increase access to dairy alternatives. Providing children with low-fat flavoured milk will boost their consumption of essential nutrients for growth and development.”
Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA, adding, “The most recent Dietary Guidelines report is clear: children are not obtaining enough important nutrients for growth, development, good immune function, and general health.” “School lunches provide the most crucial chance of the day for children to get the essential nutrients they need.
“Parents and nutrition experts have agreed for years that milk and dairy products must remain essential components of school meals. While we are delighted that this new regulation continues to place dairy at the centre of child nutrition, we are worried about the USDA’s continuous attempts to reduce milk and dairy in school meals, which run contrary to the Dietary Guidelines and the parental mandate of the United States.
