Michael Dykes, president and CEO of IDFA, issued the following note to IDFA members celebrating dairy industry successes in 2025.

Dear Dairy Community,

As we look ahead to a new year, IDFA extends our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for the many ways our members stepped up in 2025 to support our dairy industry.

I believe the U.S. dairy industry is entering a golden age. We are proud to support more than 3 million American jobs and inject close to $800 billion into the U.S. economy. And we are honored to support more than 24,000 American dairy farms working each day to deliver the wholesome milk needed to make the nutritious and affordable dairy products for billions of people around the world. That economic might, coupled with our shared dedication to health and innovation and investing in people and communities, inspires me for the year ahead.

Before we say goodbye to 2025, let’s look back at the trends and developments shaping our industry—one of the greatest years in the story of American dairy—beginning with markets and growth.

  • The growth in dairy product sales has dominated retail trends. Dairy grew into a record $76 billion retail category in 2025, topping all other food categories. (CoBank)
  • The public’s fixation on healthy protein has led to an explosion of dairy nutrition among all age groups. Dairy consumption is on a positive growth trajectory led by value-added milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, and more. (USDA ERS)
  • Despite headwinds for other agricultural commodities, U.S. dairy exports are showing robust performance in value and volume approaching 2022’s record year. (USDEC)
  • All of this demand has led to dairy processors investing an eye-popping $11 billion in new processing capacity, putting dairy manufacturing at the top of all food and beverage manufacturing investments. (IDFA/Ever.Ag)

On the policy and advocacy front, IDFA is wrapping up a year where many of our long-term advocacy efforts have paid off in a big way for our industry.

  • IDFA secured an additional $4 million in federal appropriations this year to fund SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Pilots, called Add Milk! in most markets. More than 1,100 pilots have been launched across 32 states to incentivize SNAP participants to purchase milk. IDFA is now advocating for an expanded SNAP Dairy Nutrition Inventive Program (DNIP) to incentivize a wide variety of milk, cheese, and yogurt and cultured products.
  • Congress passed and the President will sign into law the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, putting whole and 2% milk in the grasp of more than 30 million students each day in the national school meals program.
  • Congress eliminated harmful cuts to WIC milk benefits that were due to take effect next year, restoring as much as 3 gallons of milk per month for WIC mothers and their children.
  • IDFA has prevented state SNAP restrictions—from impacting dairy products. In 2025, IDFA worked with more than a dozen states to ensure all dairy products remain unaffected by SNAP restrictions.  
  • IDFA has also worked with partners to eliminate or reduce the threat of more than 140 bills introduced by dozens of state legislatures aiming to restrict, label, or ban various ingredients in the food supply, including some ingredients widely recognized as safe by U.S. regulatory agencies and important to U.S. dairy manufacturing.
  • The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be published in January and IDFA expects, for the first time in the history of the DGAs, the government to recommend consumption of dairy products at all fat levels.
  • IDFA’s proactive, industry-led commitments have delivered significant benefits to our industry.
    • School milk processors have reduced added sugar in flavored milk by nearly 60% since 2009 and exceeded the goal of reducing added sugar to more than 10g in flavored milk by summer 2026. In fact, the average level of added sugar in flavored milk is 7.2g. As a result, flavored milk remains part of the school meal program.
    • In a move widely endorsed by the Administration, Congress and MAHA advocates, dairy companies protected milk, cheese, and yogurt products in the school meals program by committing to end the use of any certified artificial colors in products sold to schools by summer 2026.
    • In a similar effort widely hailed by government and consumer groups alike, the nation’s ice cream makers committed to end the use of certified artificial colors in all ice cream products made with real milk and sold to food retail and wholesale by December 2027.
  • IDFA also worked with the Administration to successfully reduce or eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers in 11 new trade agreements that should substantially benefit U.S. dairy exporters. 

Our moment has arrived. Dairy is the perfect balance of nutrition, wholesomeness, affordability, and just plain goodness—and consumers and policymakers alike are recognizing it more and more each day. Our dairy industry is also more united than ever before. We are back on the offense. We innovated product offerings. We expanded our political footprint. We put dairy back at the center of our nation’s nutrition conversation. We invested capital in our farms and processing infrastructure. We are stronger than we’ve ever been.

As the year ends, our industry is more united to win for dairy than ever before. I wish you all a happy holiday season and healthy, prosperous new year.

Sincerely,

Michael Dykes

President and CEO

International Dairy Foods Association

Michael Dykes

President & CEO