Good nutrition is the foundation of health and wellness for adults and children alike, and dairy is a crucial part of a healthy diet beginning at a very young age. In fact, no other type of food or beverage provides the unique combination of nutrients that dairy contributes to the American diet, including high-quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, and health benefits including better bone health and lower risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Moreover, a growing body of data and research underscores the role that dairy—at all fat levels—should play in a healthy diet. In fact, a growing body of evidence indicates that consumption of full fat dairy foods (milk, cheese and yogurt) is not associated with higher risk of negative health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
IDFA believes dairy products provide a powerful package of nutrients and protein that remains one of the best values available today. We’ve been tireless in making the case for increasing the variety of dairy products served to students in schools and child care, low-income Americans through the SNAP and WIC programs, and made available to those struggling to make ends meet at America’s food banks. This is important as Congress considers updates to the Farm Bill, to the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act, and to appropriations that funds vital nutrition programs. We continue to promote the nutrition education messages resulting from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans while working to ensure that the 2025-2030 DGAs reflect the science on dairy's role in a healthy diet.
In promoting and defending dairy’s role in a healthy diet, IDFA is focused on four areas: the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC); school meals; and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide advice on the foods and beverages that will help individuals develop a healthy diet, meet nutrition needs and prevent diet-related diseases. The guidelines also set the standards for federal nutrition programs and federal nutrition education messages.
The Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services released the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in December 2020, affirming the unrivaled contribution made by dairy foods and remind Americans that a healthy diet includes three daily servings of low-fat and fat-free dairy. The federal government is currently working to update the DGA in 2025.
Throughout the development of the new Dietary Guidelines, IDFA is sharing scientific evidence with the advisory committee and the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to support maintaining the number of servings and expand choices to include higher fat levels. IDFA is also stressing the importance of keeping dairy as a separate and essential food group and asked the advisory committee, USDA, and HHS to consider nutrient density when assessing dairy products with added sugars.
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides nutritious foods to supplement the diets of low-income women who are pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding, as well as children up to age five who are at nutritional risk. Each month, the program provides healthy food — including dairy products — to 6.7 million Americans. Ensuring these families can choose nutritious dairy products will improve health outcomes for millions of children.
The first five years of a child’s life are critical. By age five, a child’s brain is about 90% of its adult size. Toddlers generally reach half their adult height by age two. If children do not get the nourishment that they need during these important months, it can lead to chronic problems — for Americans, their families, and our communities.
Early malnutrition can lead to physical and cognitive delays for children, along with a host of other lifelong negative outcomes such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, type two diabetes, obesity, and anxiety. This can diminish educational achievement, lead to behavioral challenges, and erode long-term economic productivity. Food insecurity in childhood also raises healthcare costs. An incredible 85% of U.S. healthcare spending is associated with diet-related chronic disease.
Ensuring all American infants and toddlers have access to an array of nutritious dairy products can prevent negative health, social, and economic outcomes.
Unfortunately, millions of American children live in homes that do not have reliable access to nutritional foods. For children age five and younger, WIC is a lifeline. That is why policymakers must ensure families facing food insecurity have access to an adequate array of products, including cheese, yogurt, and various types of milk products, that will support a child’s physical and cognitive development.
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
Established in 1946, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federal child nutrition program that operates in public and nonprofit private schools. In an average year, NSLP serves 30 million children, providing them with nearly five billion healthy lunches. The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) has served American schoolchildren since 1975. Today, more than 15 million students start their day with a free or reduced cost breakfast at school. Providing these children with access to nutritious dairy products during breakfast and lunch helps them come to class ready to learn and sets the foundation for lifelong nutrition.
Healthy milk and dairy options in school meals—including lactose-free and reduced-lactose options—are the most important opportunity of the day for children to get the critical nutrients they need. Dairy products including milk, cheese, and yogurt play a central role in school meals by providing 13 essential nutrients students need for healthy growth and development. And as children grow, these nutrients become more important. Children age four to eight need 2.5 cups of dairy products per day. Children ages nine to 18 need three cups.
Today’s school-aged children are falling far short of those requirements. For all youth aged 19 and younger, mean intake of dairy is only 1.9 cup- equivalent per day. Another way of looking at these numbers:
School meals can help address these deficits. In particular, they have proven to be an important source of good nutrition for children facing food insecurity. IDFA advocates that child nutrition programs, including school meals, provide as many dairy options as possible to help school-age children DGA-recommended dairy nutrient intake levels.
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves more than 40 million Americans, 90% of whom are seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children. By incentivizing the purchase of dairy products, policymakers empower these consumers to make nutritious decisions that will improve their health for years to come.
Because dairy is an essential part of any diet — especially for people struggling with food and nutrition insecurity — lawmakers should provide benefits through SNAP that incentivize consumer purchase of dairy products.
SNAP aims to reduce hunger, but the program also can help improve Americans’ overall health, potentially reducing future medical care costs.
How? Dairy products are a source of protein and 13 essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. Eating a balanced diet rich in dairy can help avoid many adverse health outcomes, from high blood pressure and heart disease to the erosion of muscle and nerve function. Access to dairy products also fights dehydration, improves cognition, and enhances immune function — while also being a key tool in the global fight against hunger.
However, Americans are largely unaware of these benefits. The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans revealed more than 90% of Americans do not consume enough dairy products to meet daily nutrition requirements. A 2024 IDFA-supported study found SNAP-eligible Americans in particular are unacquainted with the benefits of choosing dairy.
Expanding dairy nutrition incentives will help correct these misperceptions while making dairy products more affordable.
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
Senior Director, Legislative Affairs
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, nearly 36% of the American population have lactose malabsorption, making it harder for them to digest lactose, enjoy dairy products that contain lactose, and benefit from those products’ unique nutrient contributions. That does not mean these Americans should avoid dairy. Unless you have a milk or dairy allergy, you can still enjoy the delicious taste and nutritional benefits of lactose-free milk and dairy product, which contain nearly identical nutrient levels as products that contain lactose.
The U.S. dairy industry in recent years has made the development of new lactose-free dairy products a priority, and these products now abound in retail establishments across the United States. IDFA and the dairy industry are committed to ensuring Americans have access to these products in all the places they access their nutrition, from school meals to government assistance programs to foodservice establishments like restaurants.
IDFA advocates for the U.S. government to promote the availability of lactose-free dairy products to Americans. We support having the Dietary Guidelines for Americans report strongly endorse and promote lactose-free as an option for those who cannot consume traditional dairy. We support making lactose-free options more available in schools. We also support lactose-free options as part of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food package, and we support lactose-free options as part of the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive (HFMI) Projects. Read more.
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
Executive Vice President, Chief Impact Officer
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition
