The House Education and the Workforce Committee this afternoon favorably reported  H.R. 1147, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023.  This bill, sponsored by Congressman G. T. Thompason (R-PA, and Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee) provides that school meals "..may offer students flavored and unflavored whole, reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free fluid milk and lactose-free fluid milk."  The bill also provides that "The Secretary of Agriculture shall revise section 210.10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations to increase the allowable average saturated fat content of a meal to account for milk fat included in whole milk."

The bill will now move to the full House of Representatives for further consideration.  It is questionable as to whether or not the Senate will take up the measure, or leave this for consideration as part of Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

The debate in Committee today focused on the unusual action of doing a bill separate from CNR, the requirements of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, some disagreements over how the Guidelines are determined, and the arugments over the value of milk consumption versus other nutritional considerations.  You may want to watch the debate by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQshHVg0N8 and scrolling to 1:50:00.   The full debate lasts about 30 minutes.