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Soy Milk Offered as Non-Dairy Milk Substitute

In response to a recent policy change by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Irving ISD’s Food Service Department is modifying its practice of offering substitute beverages to students who cannot consume fluid cow’s milk.

Prior to the policy change, the Food Service Department could substitute a beverage such as water or juice in place of milk, but the revised policy prohibits such substitutions.  Per the revised policy, all beverages used as substitutes for cow’s milk must match the nutritional profile and content of fluid cow’s milk.

In accordance with the policy change, the IISD Food Service Department will offer soy milk as a non-dairy milk substitute for those students whose documented medical condition does not allow the consumption of cow’s milk at:

This is because students participating in the abovementioned meal programs do not have the option of declining menu items.  Therefore, if soy milk were not offered to these specific students, they would be required to take fluid cow’s milk to count as a reimbursable meal. 

Since meal service at all other schools and meal times (i.e. breakfast and lunch) permit students to decline several items on the menu, including fluid cow’s milk, soy milk will not be offered to students during these meal periods.

Parents (who were notified at the start of the 2009-2010 school year that fruit juice would be substituted for fluid milk for their children with non-disabling, medically documented milk allergies and/or intolerances) will be notified by the Food Service Department that this practice is ending.  Parents may – and are encouraged to – send a beverage from home if they choose to.

USDA regulations require school districts to serve medically adjusted meals only to students with disabilities. The IISD Food Service Department is proud to exceed this requirement by offering medically adjusted diets to hundreds of children and families in our district who would otherwise not receive individually adjusted diet plans.  Most school food service departments do not exceed the USDA’s requirement – but the IISD’s Food Service Department happily chooses to do so, to provide superior customer service to Irving students and their families.