NYU Professor Sparks Controversy Claiming Whole Milk Has Racial Connotations

NYU Professor Links Whole Milk to Racial Messaging

NEW YORK — Arthur Caplan, a bioethics expert at New York University (NYU), has ignited a strong wave of controversy by suggesting that bringing whole milk back to school menus carries political messages and has been used as a symbol by far-right groups.

In an article published on the Bioethics Today blog, Professor Caplan criticized the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on January 14, 2026. He claimed that whole milk has previously appeared in the messaging of white nationalist groups.

Caplan wrote that drinking milk "has become political" and that images of white people drinking milk have circulated in racist online content. He also cited a message previously used by far-right groups: "If you can't drink milk, you have to go back to where you came from."

U.S. Department of Agriculture Fully Rejects View

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quickly rejected Professor Caplan's stance. A spokesperson for the agency affirmed that the government is taking steps to improve school nutrition, including reintroducing whole milk to school cafeterias, and stated that attributing racial connotations to this nutrition policy is entirely inaccurate.

Bioethicist Rebuts: "Sometimes Milk Is Just Milk"

Bioethicist Wesley J. Smith strongly rebutted Caplan's view in an article published in the National Review. He argued that the claim linking whole milk to racism is "absurd."

Smith also sarcastically pointed out that one of the guests at the bill signing ceremony in the White House Oval Office was Dr. Ben Carson — the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, an African American.

"Sometimes whole milk is just whole milk," Smith concluded.

Bipartisan Support for the Act

The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act received bipartisan support from both Republican and Democratic parties in Congress, with the goal of reintroducing whole milk to school menus nationwide. For many years, under federal nutrition regulations, schools were only permitted to serve low-fat or skim milk to students.

The controversy surrounding Professor Caplan's statement continues to spread on social media, while federal officials maintain that the policy's focus remains on the nutrition and health of American students.