Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025
Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025 - Summary **What the Bill Would Do** This bill would create a new USDA program offering financial incentives to low-income Americans who receive food assistance (SNAP benefits) to buy more dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese. The program would work by providing grants and partnerships with state/local governments and nonprofits to run pilot projects that test different ways to encourage dairy purchases. Each project would be independently evaluated to measure whether the incentives actually increase dairy consumption among participants. **Who It Affects** The bill primarily affects SNAP recipients (people using food assistance), dairy farmers and producers who could see increased demand, and state/local organizations that would manage the incentive programs.
The general public could benefit indirectly if the program demonstrates health benefits from increased dairy consumption among lower-income populations. **Current Status** The bill (HR 2496) was introduced by Representative Jim Costa (D-California) in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee review, meaning it has not yet been voted on by the full House. The bill includes federal funding for the program, though specific amounts were not detailed in this summary.
CRS Official Summary
Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025This 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
Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.