NMPF, IDFA Commend Dairy Provision In Child Nutrition Bill, Will Work To Protect Access To Nutritious Dairy

Jul 28, 2022

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) released the following joint statement today on the House Education and Labor Committee’s passage of the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, a bill which reauthorizes federal child nutrition programs:

“Dairy farmers and processors across the nation pride themselves on providing nutritious, healthful foods. Milk provides 13 essential vitamins and nutrients, including three of the four deemed to be of public health concern. Milk also is the top source of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin D in kids ages 2-18. The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans highlight the robust nutrient package milk provides and notes that school-aged children do not consume recommended amounts of dairy foods. Ensuring children and adolescents have access to nutrient-dense milk and healthful dairy foods is a top priority for NMPF, IDFA, and our members.

“Child nutrition programs are critical to ensuring kids have access to nutritious food. We thank those across our nation who work hard every day to administer these vital programs. The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act approved today by the House Education and Labor Committee includes provisions to provide increased access and maintain existing access to healthful dairy foods.

“In addition to expanding eligibility and increasing support to schools, the bill takes an important step in increasing students’ access to nutritious food by securing more permanently the ability for schools to serve all milk options consistent with the Dietary Guidelines. We thank Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT), who has championed the issue for years with his School Milk Nutrition Act, for his leadership in securing these healthy milk options for schools. Milk consumption increases when more varieties are available; protecting the ability for schools to choose the milk options that best serve their students is crucial. Increased milk consumption means more intake of milk’s essential nutrients. And schools that have seen a rise in milk consumption have, in many cases, seen overall school-meals participation rise as well.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.