Sponsors (24)
The bill increases dairy access for SNAP households through funded point-of-purchase incentives, infrastructure support, and rigorous evaluation, but it requires ongoing federal spending, excludes non-dairy alternatives and some recipients with dietary needs, and may not prioritize complementary education strategies.
SNAP participants (low-income households, including parents/families) will receive point-of-purchase incentives to buy milk, yogurt, and cheese, increasing their access to dairy products.
The bill provides mandatory $10M/year to sustain incentive projects and evaluations, giving predictable federal support that helps state and local governments and nonprofits run and scale pilot programs.
Independent, rigorous evaluations (including random-assignment designs) will generate evidence on which incentives effectively increase healthy dairy purchases, informing future policy decisions.
SNAP participants who are lactose intolerant, use plant-based alternatives, or have other dietary restrictions will be excluded from the incentive because benefits are limited to cow's-milk dairy products.
Taxpayers will fund a mandatory $10M in annual spending, increasing federal outlays for a narrowly targeted food-incentive program.
Retailers and project sites may still face upfront costs and technical burdens to adopt or upgrade EBT-compatible point-of-sale systems, which could deter participation despite available grants.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 31, 2025 by Jim Costa · Last progress March 31, 2025
Creates a USDA Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program to test and fund point-of-purchase incentives that encourage households on SNAP to buy and consume ‘‘naturally nutrient-rich’’ dairy (fluid milk, yogurt and other cultured cow’s milk products, and cheese made from cow’s milk). USDA must set up the program within 180 days, award competitive grants to states, local governments, and nonprofits, require EBT-capable electronic point-of-sale issuance for incentives, conduct rigorous evaluations, and report results to Congress. The bill provides mandatory funding ($10 million annually) for the program, allows additional appropriations, and transitions existing Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives projects into the new program without interruption.