{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-carter-mace-introduce-bill-require-milk-alternatives-schools", "Reps. Carter, Mace Introduce Bill to Require Milk Alternatives in Schools", "2023-03-17", "2023", "2023-03", "Democrat", "House", "LA", "Troy A. Carter", "C001125", "troycarter.house.gov", "troycarter", "https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) and Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-Sc.) introduced the bipartisan Addressing Digestive Distress in Stomachs of Our Youth (ADD SOY) Act, a bill which requires schools to provide fluid milk substitutes upon request of a student or parent/guardian.\n\nThe ADD SOY Act makes soy milk available to children in schools who need an alternative to cow\u2019s milk. This is especially important because large numbers of minority children particularly Black, Latino, Native American, and Asian-American, are lactose intolerant. These children experience adverse health effects simply because, in practice, dairy is the only type of milk offered in schools.\n\n\u201cIt is abundantly clear that the current milk substitute system that USDA employs is delivering detrimental impacts on BIPOC school children,\u201d said Rep. Carter. \u201cToo many children who cannot safely or comfortably consume dairy are being forced to accept containers of cow\u2019s milk on their lunch trays. My ADD SOY Act ensures the health and nutritional needs of all our nation\u2019s students are met. America needs to embrace its diversity at the lunch counter.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe federal government is wasting $300 million of our tax dollars a year by mandating that every school kid getting nutrition assistance has a carton of cow\u2019s milk on the tray even though millions of them don\u2019t want it and get sick from it,\u201d said Rep. Mace. \u201cThirty percent of kids throw the milk away in the carton, and hundreds of millions of tax dollars wasted is not spilled milk. Kids should have a healthy choice in lunchrooms.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur nation\u2019s \u2018milk mandate\u2019 is a sure-fire way to cause digestive distress and to impede classroom learning for millions of school kids with lactose-intolerance,\u201d said Wayne Pacelle, President of Animal Wellness Action. \u201cIt's also a matter of reckless food and fiscal waste, easily remedied by giving kids a soymilk option. We are excited to work with Reps. Troy Carter and Nancy Mace to deliver nutritional choice in the lunchroom.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nThe rates of lactose intolerance in BIPOC communities are startlingly high, with 65 percent of Latino students, 75 percent of Black students, and 90 percent of Asian students unable to digest dairy milk without detrimental effects. Many children may not make the connection between consumption of the product and their feelings of discomfort and even illness. Currently, children who suffer adverse reactions from cow\u2019s milk must produce a doctor\u2019s note if they choose not to accept traditional milk with their lunch, this is in part due to Congress\u2019 onerous \u201cmilk note\u201d requirement. This requirement is an issue of equity as it places an unfair burden squarely on minority children.\n\nLactose-intolerance causes a range of health effects, from stomach pains to severe bloating to gas and diarrhea to even exacerbated asthma symptoms. This makes learning more difficult for children. Additionally, A USDA report in 2019 calculated the value of unopened, discarded milk at $300 million annually.\n\nThe ADD SOY Act is endorsed by Animal Wellness Action.\n\nFull bill text can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T23:30:02Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-carter-mace-introduce-bill-require-milk-alternatives-schools"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8199340663850307, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}