Protect The Harvest | USDA Proposal to Ban Chocolate Milk in Schools

Chocolate milk, a favorite school lunch staple for decades, is in danger. In fact, Washington, DC, and San Francisco have already eliminated flavored milks from school cafeteria lunch options. This policy shift was proposed in February 2023 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and it has divided schools and parents alike regarding what is in the best interest of young people. The USDA proposed two plans to limit chocolate and other flavored milks in school cafeterias. Both of which can be found on the USDA website linked below.

“Alternative A” – the first of two proposed ideas from the USDA – shares that beginning in the 2025-26 school year all elementary and middle school children (kindergarten through eighth grade) would only be offered fat-free and/or low-fat unflavored milk. High school students (ninth through twelfth grade) would still be given the option to drink fat-free and low-fat flavored milk with their cafeteria lunches. As this is currently a proposal, USDA is seeking public input on whether flavored milk should be offered to children in grades six through eight as well, which would result in kindergarten through sixth grade drinking unflavored milk. All listed scenarios would require that flavored milk options contain limited sugars, as the sugar content is USDA’s main concern.

“Alternative B” – the second proposed plan from the USDA – shares that schools would maintain their current practices of serving fat-free and low-