In comments filed last week, IDFA called for increased variety in the dairy products stocked by retailers that serve consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Responding to USDA’s proposed rule on SNAP, IDFA said allowing flexibility will allow more small retailers to participate and provide more locations for participants to purchase nutritious dairy foods.

“For Americans to benefit from the nutrition of dairy products, they must be able to procure those products in the form that meets their preferences for taste, nutritive value and convenience,” IDFA said in the comments. “For Americans that participate in SNAP, they must be able to use their SNAP benefits in stores that are convenient to them. Often, these are small retail stores. As cited in the Proposed Rule, only 27% of small format retail food stores stock a variety of dairy products that meet consumer preferences.”

IDFA agreed with the proposed rule that full-fat cow’s milk and reduced-fat cow’s milk should count as two different products toward the variety requirement. Similarly, spoonable yogurt, yogurt-based drinks, hard cheeses and soft cheese types should also count individually toward variety.

“This will encourage different forms and types of dairy foods, such as milk, yogurt and cheese, so that consumers are more likely to find the type of product that they prefer,” IDFA said.

• Read the comments here.

For more information, contact Cary Frye, IDFA senior vice president of regulatory affairs, at cfrye@idfa.org.