On June 30, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations passed its fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill for the USDA, FDA and related agencies. Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), released the following statement on the bill:

“IDFA is pleased to see the House appropriations bill include important provisions that encourage milk consumption amongst school children and adults, find sustainable solutions for ice cream byproducts and provide support to the FDA to modernize its outdated standards of identity for dairy products.

“Importantly, this bill would triple current funding for the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive Projects — a pilot program that incentivizes SNAP beneficiaries to purchase fluid milk, making it easier for families to get more of the nutritional benefits of milk. It would also extend flexibilities for schools to continue to offer low-fat flavored milk — a nutrient-dense food that provides children with the health benefits they need as they grow — during the upcoming school year.

“IDFA applauds the House Appropriations Committee for including these provisions in the bill that the committee approved today and encourages the full House and Senate to adopt these measures that support American health, innovation and sustainability.”