Hunger Solutions Institute earns $2.99 million grant to further expand, strengthen Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives program

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Since launching Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) in 2022, Hunger Solutions Institute (HSI) in Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences has built a successful track record of developing and testing methods to increase the purchase and consumption of qualifying fluid milk by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households. HSI will continue this work throughout the next three years with the award of a recent cooperative agreement totaling $2.99 million.

Awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, the newest HFMI award will identify and further strengthen strategies to encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes and healthy families. Aims of the new HFMI award will be achieved by providing incentives at the point of purchase in partnership with nine retailers operating 169 SNAP-authorized retail stores in nine states. These retailers represent a broad geographic reach across urban, suburban and rural communities, expanding access to healthy milk incentives for a variety of customers. Five of the nine retailers, along with most of the stores included in the award, previously participated in a HFMI cooperative agreement in partnership with HSI. With this new award, HSI and USDA are demonstrating a renewed commitment to these retailers and communities, supporting continued growth of the pilot program and strengthening its reach across participating states.

"The continuation and expansion of HFMI represents an important step forward. The most recent cooperative agreement is the first to demonstrate sustainability of participating retailers across multiple funding cycles, indicating proven successes at the program, retailer, and household levels. The recent award also continues expanding HFMI to additional retailers, communities, and households ensuring this work makes a lasting difference nationwide.”

Alicia Powers, Managing Director, Hunger Solutions Institute and Principal Investigator of HFMI

"The continuation and expansion of HFMI represents an important step forward,” said Alicia Powers, Managing Director, Hunger Solutions Institute and Principal Investigator of HFMI. “The most recent cooperative agreement is the first to demonstrate sustainability of participating retailers across multiple funding cycles, indicating proven successes at the program, retailer, and household levels. The recent award also continues expanding HFMI to additional retailers, communities, and households ensuring this work makes a lasting difference nationwide.”

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, said, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is pleased to partner with Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences to improve consumption of fluid milk. Milk, especially whole milk, is paramount to the recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. The Department looks forward to the Hunger Solutions Institute encouraging not only more milk consumption, but how to better use the incentive to purchase other healthful, less processed SNAP-eligible items.”

Overall, Americans are consuming less milk. Milk is an important part of a healthy diet, and this decline over time could have health impacts on future generations. HFMI, known as Add Milk to customers, seeks to increase the purchase of healthy fluid milk by low-income consumers participating in SNAP. For every dollar of SNAP benefits, a participant uses to purchase healthy fluid milk, Add Milk provides a dollar incentive as an automatic discount or coupon to redeem for additional SNAP eligible items.

Early data from Add Milk demonstrates impact on SNAP households. First, SNAP households are switching to healthy fluid milk or buying it more often, as the share of transactions involving fat-free and low-fat milk has increased 4.75% since program inception. Second, SNAP households are purchasing more healthy fluid milk, shown by the growing share of fat-free and low-fat milk in total milk sales from 11.51% in May 2023 to 18.69% as of December 2024. Finally, more SNAP customers are participating in Add Milk, which is reflected in the increase in households purchasing incentivized milk at participating stores. About 30,000 households participate in Add Milk every month.

“The Food Group’s Twin Cities Mobile Market is pleased to offer 1% milk at half price for SNAP customers through the Add Milk program,” said Stephanie Wagner, Associate Director of Programs at The Food Group MN. “By reducing cost as a barrier to a nutritious and frequently requested staple, this initiative helps ensure families can access the foods they want and need with dignity and choice.” Add Milk significantly benefits participating stores as well. Data have shown Add Milk is an asset for participating stores, increasing customer traffic, enhancing community engagement, and aligning with public health goals. Stores not only experience incremental revenue gains but also report stronger customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Add Milk significantly benefits participating stores as well. Data have shown Add Milk is an asset for participating stores, increasing customer traffic, enhancing community engagement, and aligning with public health goals. Stores not only experience incremental revenue gains but also report stronger customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, said, “Add Milk is a powerful tool for helping families stretch their SNAP dollars and access milk’s 13 essential nutrients and health benefits. The program’s continued success shows how targeted incentives can make it easier for SNAP households to purchase healthy fluid milk while reinforcing the essential role dairy plays in a nutritious diet, fulfilling the objectives of both the 2020-2025 and 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. IDFA congratulates Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute and its retail partners for their continued leadership, stewardship and commitment to using technology to increase nutritious dairy purchases by the families who need it most.”

HSI launched Add Milk in 2022 with a nearly $3 million cooperative agreement from USDA to operate in four states at 116 stores. HSI received additional awards from USDA in 2023 and 2024 to support expansion of Add Milk to nearly 1,000 stores in 29 states. With the new 2025 award, Add Milk continues its work in encouraging healthy choices, healthy outcomes and healthy families.

For more information on Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) or Add Milk, visit the link below

ADD MILK

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