The 2018 Farm Bill included an incentive program for dairy products purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The funding for this program, named Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) Projects, must come through appropriations legislation. The FY2024 spending bill included $3 million for the program. It allows SNAP participants to purchase more milk with their benefits, stretching their SNAP dollars further and helping them to make nutritious choices and support a healthy lifestyle.
USDA is working with Auburn University's Hunger Solutions Institute and the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty to develop pilot projects that measure the effectiveness of various incentives within SNAP households. These projects will run in 21 states and more than 700 retail outlets in 2024.
The latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans report showed that more than 90% of Americans do not consume enough dairy products to meet daily nutrition requirements, impeding positive health outcomes for Americans of all ages. Dairy foods makers are committed to playing a proactive role in mitigating underconsumption, especially for our nation’s most vulnerable and underserved individuals. We believe a stronger focus on nutrition incentives like those provided through HFMIP, alongside proper education and outreach, will improve access to affordable, nutritious dairy foods like milk, yogurt and cheese.
IDFA led the charge to create the HFMIP in the 2018 Farm Bill and has continued to closely collaborate with USDA, Auburn's Hunger Solutions Institute, and the Baylor Collaborative on hunger and Poverty to grow the effort. IDFA is a major proponent of incentivizing SNAP participants to purchase healthy dairy options to increase access to affordable, nutritious food and beverage options for food and nutrition insecure Americans.
With $4 million in FY2023 funding, this pilot is expanding to 700 stores in 21 states to find the most effective ways to incentivize SNAP beneficiaries to get more of the nutrition benefits of milk, with a secondary goal of trying to increase milk consumption across the country and introducing milk to a new generation of consumers.
IDFA is advocating for $4 million in federal funding for HFMIP in FY2025, and we are also advocating the Congress create a broader Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program in the next Farm Bill to promote the full suite of nutritious dairy products. Take action today on the IDFA Campaign Center to encourage your members of Congress to support this important program.
For more information, contact Rob Rosado, vice president, legislative affairs, at rrosado@idfa.org and Donald Grady, senior director, legislative affairs, at dgrady@idfa.org.
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
Senior Director, Legislative Affairs
