Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs

What it does

This final rule with comment period ("final rule") expands fluid milk options by allowing schools and child and adult care providers participating in Child Nutrition Programs to offer whole and reduced-fat milk to participants two years and older. This rule codifies milkfat requirements following enactment of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and supports the statutory requirements for meals to align with the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. By removing previous fluid milkfat-content restrictions, this deregulatory rule restores flexibility to Program operators, allowing them to offer a greater variety of fluid milk options, including whole and reduced- fat milk, to meet the nutrition needs and preferences of the children and adults they serve.

The Food and Nutrition Service's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

4 parts of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

7 CFR 210, 7 CFR 215, 7 CFR 220, 7 CFR 226

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Food and Nutrition Service has published 2 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 6 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 0584-AF28 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

Effective date: This rule is effective June 8, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket FNS-2026-0067 on Regulations.gov
• Title 7 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register