LORETTO, Pa. — Pennsylvania Farm Bureau hosted a press conference May 15 at Vale Wood Farms in Cambria County to explain the importance of school districts putting 2% and whole milk back on their school menus.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump at the beginning of the year, restored whole milk options in school cafeterias after they had been banished for 15 years. But getting whole and 2% milk back in schools wasn’t as easy as passing a law.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized new regulations earlier this month to allow schools to serve whole and reduced-fat milk across all federal nutrition programs. Now it’s up to Pennsylvania school districts to include whole milk in their orders as they are in the process of renewing their food service contracts for the 2026-27 school year.
At least one school district jumped at the chance to get whole milk back as soon as it was able to.
“It took just 12 days for Vale Wood Farms and Ritchey’s Dairy to get whole milk back in our schools after the signing of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act,” said Betsy Snyder, director of food services for Hollidaysburg Area School District.
Snyder, also a registered dietitian and president of the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania, said Hollidaysburg Area School District serves 3,000 meals per day, and 85-90% of students choose milk with their meals.
“I love to promote dairy and health and wellness,” she said.
Snyder spoke alongside Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Vice President Tommy Nagle, Carissa Itle-Westrick, director of business development for Vale Wood Farms and several other dairy farmers and industry leaders, about the benefits of whole milk at the press conference. Milk samples were offered by Emily Farabaugh, Cambria County Dairy Princess, and Kimber Hough, Centre County’s Dairy Princess.
