Civil rights groups urge USDA to fix ‘dietary racism’ in school lunch programs
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Twenty-eight civil rights and healthcare groups announced Tuesday they have requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) address “dietary racism” in national school lunch programs, raising concerns to the federal agency about forcing millions of minority children to drink cow’s milk without allowing them a healthier alternative.
In a letter to the USDA’s Equity Commission, the groups said the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) only incentivizes dairy milk, a policy they called “inherently inequitable and socially unjust” because children of color are more likely to be lactose-intolerant — meaning they cannot fully digest sugars in dairy and can suffer from adverse effects after consumption.
The USDA reimburses schools covered under the 76-year-old NSLP if they provide fluid milk during meals, which does not cover soy milk or other types of organic milk. Dairy milk must be served with every meal.
According to the civil rights and health groups, 80 percent of Black and Latinos, more than 90 percent of Asians, and more than 80 percent of Indigenous Americans are lactose-intolerant, compared to 15 percent of White people.
They estimated that millions of minority children could be affected in the classroom because of the USDA policy, urging the agency to allow soy milk, a federally recognized nutritional product, as an official substitute in the NSLP.
Civil rights groups, including Al Sharpton-led organization, urge USDA to fix ‘dietary racism’ in school lunch programs
Twenty-eight civil rights and health care groups announced Tuesday they have requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) address “dietary racism” in national school lunch programs, raising concerns to the federal agency about forcing millions of minority children to drink cow’s milk...
Twenty-eight civil rights and healthcare groups announced Tuesday they have requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) address “dietary racism” in national school lunch programs, raising concerns to the federal agency about forcing millions of minority children to drink cow’s milk without allowing them a healthier alternative.
In a letter to the USDA’s Equity Commission, the groups said the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) only incentivizes dairy milk, a policy they called “inherently inequitable and socially unjust” because children of color are more likely to be lactose-intolerant — meaning they cannot fully digest sugars in dairy and can suffer from adverse effects after consumption.
The USDA reimburses schools covered under the 76-year-old NSLP if they provide fluid milk during meals, which does not cover soy milk or other types of organic milk. Dairy milk must be served with every meal.
According to the civil rights and health groups, 80 percent of Black and Latinos, more than 90 percent of Asians, and more than 80 percent of Indigenous Americans are lactose-intolerant, compared to 15 percent of White people.
They estimated that millions of minority children could be affected in the classroom because of the USDA policy, urging the agency to allow soy milk, a federally recognized nutritional product, as an official substitute in the NSLP.
