The 2018 Farm Bill included a purchase incentive program for dairy products in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but the funding must come through appropriations legislation. The FY2022 spending bill included $3 million for the incentive program, called the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive Projects (HFMIP) program. It allows SNAP participants to purchase more milk with their benefits, 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 create and promote the pilot projects that measure the effectiveness of various incentives within SNAP households. These projects will run in six states and more than 150 retail outlets in 2023.
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 on growing 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.
Now with increased funding, this pilot is expanding across more than 150 retailers in six 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 an expansion of funding to $5 million for HFMIP in FY2023. IDFA is working with congressional champions to secure this funding, and your support will help. Take action today on the IDFA Campaign Center to encourage your members of Congress to support this increase in funding.
For more information, contact Rob Rosado, senior director, legislative affairs, at rrosado@idfa.org and Donald Grady, IDFA director, legislative affairs, at dgrady@idfa.org.
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
Senior Director, Legislative Affairs
