SF3687

Purpose

• The bill updates Minnesota law to clarify and expand the milk options that must be offered in programs like the national school lunch program and the school breakfast program. It aims to ensure students have access to a broader range of milk choices, including lactose-reduced options for those who are lactose intolerant, while staying aligned with federal nutrition standards.

Main Provisions

• Requirement to offer a variety of fluid milk:
  • Schools participating in the national school lunch program or school breakfast program must offer a range of fluid milk options.
  • Options can include flavored and unflavored milk, and can be organic or nonorganic, whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free.
  • Non-dairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the USDA nutrition standards may also be offered.
• Lactose-reduced milk for lactose-intolerant students:
  • If a nonpublic school or district receives school lunch aid (or participates in the school breakfast program) and has a written parent request, it must make available lactose-reduced milk.
  • This lactose-reduced milk can be lactase-fortified (in liquid, tablet, granular, or other form) or milk to which lactobacillus acidophilus has been added.
• Serving from large containers:
  • Schools may pour or serve portions of required products from a large container at the time and place of service, even if local laws would otherwise prohibit it.
• Applicability:
  • Applies to nonpublic schools or districts that receive school lunch aid under section 124D.111 or participate in the school breakfast program.
• Legal alignment:
  • The statute being amended is Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 124D.114, addressing fluid milk and lactose-reduced milk offerings.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Explicitly codifies a broader set of milk options (flavored/unflavored, organic/nonorganic, whole/reduced-fat/low-fat/fat-free) as acceptable fluid milk for school meal programs, as long as they meet USDA nutritional standards.
• Introduces a clearly defined lactose-reduced milk pathway for lactose-intolerant students, including lactase-fortified milk and milk with added lactobacillus acidophilus.
• Allows bulk serving from large containers to meet the requirements, potentially simplifying service logistics.
• Extends these requirements to nonpublic schools receiving meal aid or participating in breakfast programs, broadening the reach of the policy beyond traditional public schools.

Relevant Terms - fluid milk - lactose-reduced milk - lactose intolerance - lactase (enzyme) - lactase-fortified milk - lactobacillus acidophilus - nonpublic school - school lunch program - school breakfast program - Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 124D.114 - USDA nutrition standards - flavored milk - unflavored milk - organic - nonorganic - whole milk - reduced-fat - low-fat - fat-free - nondairy beverages - large container (bulk serving)