Congress·In Committee·H.R. 2539

Bipartisan Bill Proposes Requiring Plant-Based Milk Options in School Lunch Programs

FISCAL Act

12 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Expanding Milk Options and Safety Standards in National School Lunch Programs

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

↔Companion bill: Bipartisan Bill Requires Schools to Offer Plant-Based Milk Options in Cafeterias

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill would change the rules for the National School Lunch Program to make sure students have more choices for what they drink. It requires schools to offer different types of milk, specifically adding plant-based options like soy or almond milk to the menu.
Currently, schools are mostly required to provide dairy milk. This change would help millions of students who cannot drink cow's milk due to allergies, lactose intolerance, or personal dietary preferences.
Any plant-based milk offered would still have to meet healthy nutrition standards set by the government. This ensures that kids are still getting the vitamins and minerals they need to grow, even if they are not drinking dairy.
The bill was introduced by a bipartisan pair of lawmakers, Representative Carter and Representative Mace. It aims to give families more freedom to choose the foods that work best for their children's health and diets.

EducationAgriculture

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 1, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Apr 1, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

5 articles

PBS NewsHour·2 months ago

WATCH: Trump signs a law returning whole milk to school lunches

The new law permits schools to serve nondairy milk that meets nutritional standards and requires schools to offer alternatives if students provide a note from parents. This ends the 'cow's milk mandate' that required a doctor's note for plant-based options.

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Politico·2 months ago

Trump signs bill allowing schools to offer whole milk

The bipartisan legislation, which merged the FISCAL Act into the broader Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, allows schools to serve non-dairy, plant-based milks without a doctor's note, expanding options for the 30 million children in the National School Lunch Program.

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The Hill·12 months ago

Bipartisan senators unveil measure providing flexibility in school lunch milk options

Sens. John Fetterman, Cory Booker, and John Kennedy introduced the FISCAL Act to require schools to offer plant-based milk options. The bill aims to accommodate the millions of students who are lactose intolerant and reduce the waste of discarded dairy milk cartons.

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