Evaluation of the FY 2020 Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Project

Section 4208 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (PL 115-334) authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) projects to develop and test methods to increase the purchase and consumption of unflavored and unsweetened low-fat and fat-free cow's milk by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households by providing incentives at the point of purchase.

This report presents findings from the evaluation of the first Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives project. The project tested take-up of incentives delivered through coupons issued to SNAP participants when they purchased "qualifying fluid milk" with their SNAP benefits at four pilot stores in west Texas.

Key Findings

• The cumulative redemption rate across all four pilot stores, or the total share of issued incentives that SNAP shoppers redeemed over the course of the 12-month pilot operation period, was 2%.
• SNAP shoppers redeemed 22 coupons valued at $89 out of 1,156 issued coupons valued at $4,054 during the 12-month pilot period across all four stores.
• Relative to sales in an average week during the pre-launch period, qualifying milk sales in an average week during the pilot operation period did not increase.