Bill Would Expand Access to Nutritious Dairy Products for Participants of SNAP
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2025—A new dairy incentive program aimed at encouraging healthy behavior among people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is gaining bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025 seeks to address that 90% of Americans do not consume enough milk and other nutritious dairy products according to federal dietary guidelines. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.), would provide SNAP participants with a dollar-for-dollar match for the purchase of milk, cheese, yogurt and cultured dairy products.
The dairy incentive program would expand the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive (HFMI) projects—a 2018 Farm Bill program currently testing best practices for incentivizing milk purchases among SNAP beneficiaries—to include whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk as well as additional dairy products including cheese and yogurt. To date, the HFMI program has helped more than 340,000 individuals enrolled in SNAP purchase wholesome low-fat (1%) and non-fat milk for their families.
“A SNAP dairy incentive program is a reliable investment in improving our nation’s health and reducing hunger and chronic food insecurity among low-income Americans,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association. “Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are nutritional powerhouses that promote healthy immune function, hydration, bone health, and lower risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. IDFA applauds U.S. Sens. Klobuchar and Marshall, and U.S. Reps. Costa and Langworthy for their leadership on the Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025, which would help our nation’s most vulnerable people afford wholesome, nutrient-dense dairy products for their families.”
“As a doctor who practiced medicine for more than 25 years, I cannot stress enough the importance of drinking whole milk, which serves as an excellent source of critical nutrients and contributes to a healthier cardiovascular system,” said Sen. Marshall. “The Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025 is a no-brainer and would provide common-sense updates to increase incentives for dairy purchases in SNAP – ensuring all American families can benefit from this superfood.”
“Dairy products play a vital role in a healthy diet, providing essential nutrients that support strong bones and healthy outcomes,” said Rep. Costa. “Tulare County is the top dairy-producing county in the nation and state, yet too many families struggle to access these essential products. This bill expands incentives to make dairy more accessible, supports our local farmers, and delivers comprehensive solutions to improve nutrition across the board.”
“I’m proud to join Congressman Costa to introduce this legislation to expand access to dairy products and promote the long-term health of Americans. This effort will help to put healthy dairy options from farms in Western New York on more dinner tables across the country,” said Rep. Langworthy.
“Dairy foods provide critical nutrients for healthy lives, but nearly 90 percent of Americans don’t meet dairy intake recommendations,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “We commend Representatives Jim Costa, D-CA, and Nick Langworthy, R-NY, and Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, and Roger Marshall, R-KS, for their bipartisan Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act, which would expand SNAP participant access to healthful dairy products at the grocery store. We look forward to working with the bill’s sponsors and ensuring all Americans have access to healthy dairy products.”
“FMI – The Food Industry Association supports the Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act as a way to expand access to nutrient-rich dairy products within SNAP,” said Jennifer Hatcher, chief public policy officer and senior vice president, membership of FMI – The Food Industry Association. “By building on existing milk-purchase incentives, this bill empowers retailers to help low-income households incorporate a variety of dairy options – milk, cheese, and yogurt – into a healthy eating pattern alongside fruits and vegetables.”
"SNAP incentive programs for nutritious foods—like dairy, fruits, and vegetables—help families access healthier options while also strengthening independent grocers' ability to promote better nutrition," said Stephanie Johnson, group vice president for government affairs at the National Grocers Association. "NGA strongly supports the Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program, which expands SNAP incentives to include more milk varieties, yogurt, and cheese. This not only provides SNAP participants with greater access to nutritious dairy products but also simplifies the process for independent grocers to offer these benefits in their communities."
“SNAP incentives serve a critical role in promoting healthy choices among SNAP participants,” said Alicia Powers, PhD, managing director of Hunger Solutions Institute, Auburn University. “The current Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive program has taken off in the past year, reaching more than 600 retail outlets and supporting an average 27,000 SNAP households each month. Hunger Solutions Institute is well positioned to expand the program to additional nutrient-dense dairy products that SNAP participants prefer to purchase for their families.”
The Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025 is also endorsed by the Dairy Institute of California, Northeast Dairy Foods & Suppliers Associations, Dairy Products Institute of Texas, and Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
Background on the SNAP nutrition incentives and the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Projects
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is our nation’s most effective food security program, helping roughly 40 million Americans—90% of whom are seniors, people with disabilities and families with children—afford nutritious food. The program supports roughly 20% of total food purchases at retail. Importantly, every gallon of milk, block of cheese, or cup of yogurt purchased through SNAP directly supports the milk produced on American dairy farms, processed by American workers, and delivered to grocery stores nationwide.
The U.S. dairy industry has long recognized SNAP’s critical role in improving access to essential dairy nutrition while strengthening demand for dairy products. Ensuring that dairy remains central to SNAP not only improves public health, it also sustains a vital economic engine that supports thousands of farm families and rural communities across the country.
SNAP nutrition incentive programs like the proposed DNIP program, HFMI and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) encourage people participating in SNAP to purchase healthy, nutrient-dense foods by providing a coupon, discount, gift card, or bonus food item. The programs offer a more efficient and effective system for encouraging healthier eating than do restrictions on the types of foods SNAP participants can purchase. SNAP participants, food retailers, taxpayers, and our nation’s public health all benefit more from a food safety net that incentivizes the consumption of nutrient-dense foods than from a restrictive, punitive, and administratively burdensome system.
IDFA led the charge in the 2018 Farm Bill to create HFMI and has since closely collaborated with USDA, the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, and Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute to grow the projects. The Farm Bill authorized $20 million for the projects. Since then, Congress has increasingly appropriated funding to launch and expand HFMI to more than 1,100 retail locations in 32 states by the end of 2025. In total, $15 million has been appropriated to HFMI projects, including $3 million in the recently enacted FY2025 Continuing Resolution. IDFA is advocating for additional funds to be appropriated for the FY2026 funding bill.
To learn more about the health benefits of milk, cheese and yogurt, visit www.idfa.org/dairynourishes.
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Contact: press@idfa.org
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.