Assemblyman Brian Miller (R,I,C-New Hartford) is calling for the passage of his bill, A.9990, which would allow schools to purchase whole and 2% milk from local dairy producers. The federal government banned the sale of these kinds of milk, saying they were too high in fat and were the cause of childhood obesity and type-2 diabetes. However, since the implementation of the policy, there has been no measurable improvement due to the milk ban. Studies are showing instead that whole and 2% milk have a positive and desirable impact on childhood health.

“So much of what a child needs to grow healthy and strong can be found in whole and 2% milk. There is no measurable reason to keep this nutritious food out of the hands of children,” said Miller. “By allowing schools to purchase whole and 2% milk, we’d not only be helping growing children, but we’d also be helping local family dairy farms. It’s time to get this passed, now.”

Often unknown, whole milk is actually 97% fat-free and offers 13 essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fat critical to growing healthy bodies in children. More current studies are discovering whole and 2% milk consumption in children reduces risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes, lowers blood pressure, increases satiety without causing weight gain and improves sleep.

Editor’s Note: Video of Assemblyman Miller’s comments on this bill can be downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zkGoZlOVGvrOS4XmI93je98jCJU7PfhJ/view?usp=sharing