Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2023
Key claim: The Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act would direct USDA to provide financial incentives to SNAP recipients for buying milk, cheese, and yogurt through competitive grants and cooperative agreements.
Abstract
(S1474 · 118th Congress) Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a dairy nutrition incentive program to develop and test methods to increase the purchase and consumption of dairy under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Specifically, the program must provide an incentive to SNAP benefit recipients for the purchase of naturally nutrient-rich dairy, which the bill defines to include fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese made from cow’s milk. To carry out the program, USDA must enter into cooperative agreements with, or provide competitive grants to, state or local governments and nonprofit organizations for projects. The bill provides funding for the program for each fiscal year. USDA must provide for an independent evaluation of each project that measures, to the maximum extent practicable, the effect of incentives on purchases of naturally nutrient-rich dairy by SNAP recipients. Projects currently carried out by the USDA Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) program must be transitioned to the new dairy nutrition incentive program; the bill repeals the HFMI program one year after USDA certifies that the transition is complete. Latest action (2023-05-04): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Why this matters
The proposal would expand dairy purchasing incentives for participating SNAP households, potentially lowering their effective cost of eligible dairy purchases without necessarily lowering retail prices. Increased purchases could support demand for dairy farmers and processors, but the finding provides no measured consumer, farm-income, or food-price effects. Its status is introduced legislation, not an established new benefit.