White House Shines Spotlight on Healthy School Milk Commitment
During a special event organized by the White House, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) was recognized for announcing new commitments under the Biden-Harris administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.
According to IDFA, the Healthy School Milk Commitment is a pledge by 37 school milk processors representing approximately 95% of the school milk volume in the U.S. to provide healthy, nutritious school milk options with no more than 10 grams of added sugar per 8 fluid ounce serving.
“On behalf of America’s school milk processors, we are proud to be recognized today by the White House and Biden-Harris administration for our industry’s proactive efforts to reduce added sugar in school milk to ensure children continue to enjoy milk’ 13 essential nutrients in a product they love,” said IDFA’s President and CEO, Michael Dykes, D.V.M. “The Healthy School Milk Commitment ensures all children, especially our most vulnerable, have access to nutritious milk options throughout the year with less added sugar and fewer calories. School milk is the leading source of calcium, vitamin D, and potassium for American children. As the Biden-Harris administration recognized today, IDFA and our nation’s school milk processors have stepped up in a big way to provide wholesome and healthy milk options with 13 essential nutrients to children all year around.”
Dykes was joined by IDFA members HP Hood and Agri-Mark dairy cooperative. HP Hood is an iconic dairy company based in Massachusetts that provides a host of dairy products to consumers across the country, including school milk in the Northeastern United States. Hood team members Megan Delano, senior manager of regulatory affairs, and Linda Cote, senior manager of R&D, provided samples of their newly reformulated non-fat chocolate milk to White House and Biden-Harris administration officials. Hood’s school milk products are sourced in part from Agri-Mark dairy farms. Agri-Mark dairy cooperative board chair, James “Cricket” Jacquier, co-owner of Laurelbrook Farm in East Canaan, Conn., also joined the event.
“Hood’s longstanding partnership with local farm families allows us to bring nutritious milk products that taste great to schools across the Northeast with the highest degree of freshness and safety,” said Lynne Bohan, group vice president, communications and government affairs for HP Hood. “The new chocolate milk we debuted today for schools exemplifies Hood’s ongoing commitment to quality, innovation, and nutrition. We’re grateful to participate in today’s event at the White House as part of the Healthy School Milk Commitment, and we look forward to continue bringing Hood’s highly nutritious dairy products to people of all ages for many years to come.”
IDFA reports that more than two-thirds of milk consumed by children in school today is flavored, such as chocolate and strawberry milk. Therefore, the reductions in sugar and calories achieved by the Healthy School Milk Commitment are critical to improving child nutrition. According to surveys among school milk processors conducted by IDFA and Prime Consulting, the level of added sugars in flavored milk products has declined by 55% between 2006 and 2023, from 16.7 grams per 8-ounce serving in 2006 to 7.5 grams of added sugar per serving in 2023 as milk processors signed on to IDFA’s Healthy School Milk Commitment and began reformulating products in advance of the 2025 school year.
“Dairy farmers devote their lives to producing fresh, wholesome, and local milk for our communities,” said Jacquier. “That dedication begins on the farm and is continued by our processor partners like HP Hood who have created a nutritious, delicious product that students want to drink. This new product checks the box of exceeding nutritional standards and is kid-approved. Students have always reached for flavored milk, and now they’ll have even more nutritious choices thanks to the Healthy School Milk Commitment. We applaud the dairy industry’s efforts to reduce added sugars proactively and voluntarily in school milk.”
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