For millions of Americans, putting a healthy meal on the table has never been harder. Rising prices and limited access to nutritious foods have widened the gap, leaving one in seven households food insecure and one in five children at risk of lifelong health consequences. Yet across the country, new collaborations and innovations are helping communities find fresh ways to make nutritious food more affordable and accessible — with U.S. dairy playing a leading role.

The stakes are high. Food insecure families often purchase fewer calories and have lower-quality diets, impacting growth, development and long-term health. And while the “food as medicine” movement is transforming wellness for some, its benefits remain out of reach for families struggling to afford basic groceries.

That’s where the U.S. dairy community is stepping in, combining scale, science and collaboration to help close the nutrition gap.

Mobilizing Nutrition Access

Through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, farmers, cooperatives, processors and other partners are working together to strengthen community resilience and ensure reliable access to affordable, nutrient-rich foods.

“As an industry, we are allies in the fight against hunger,” states Katie Bambacht, Vice President of Nutrition Affairs at National Dairy Council (NDC). “Advancing food and nutrition security is a fundamental part of social responsibility. By collaborating with partners across the public, private and non-profit sectors, we’re helping ensure that nutrient-rich foods like dairy reach the communities that need them most.”

The Power of Dairy Nutrition

For about 22 cents per 8-ounce serving, milk delivers 13 essential nutrients, including protein, calcium, vitamin D and B vitamins. Dairy foods supply more than 50% of Americans’ calcium and vitamin D intake and nearly one-fifth of their protein, making them one of the most cost-effective sources of complete nutrition.

Research continues to affirm dairy foods’ role in supporting healthy growth, immune and gut function, cognition and long-term wellness. To share and expand that science, the Innovation Center collaborates with academic, nonprofit and industry partners through efforts like the Dairy Nourishes America Toolkit, a digital resource guide created in collaboration with Feeding America to increase access to dairy foods in food banks.

The toolkit and other similar initiatives help raise awareness about nutrition security, a concept that goes beyond calories to emphasize the quality of food and the importance of consistent access to safe, healthy and affordable options.

Partnerships That Deliver

U.S. dairy’s role in nutrition security continues through long-standing partnerships, including with Feeding America, which distributed 471 million pounds of dairy to families in 2025.

“Dairy continues to be consistently one of the most requested and least donated food groups among the neighbors we serve,” said Jerod Matthews, Senior Commodity Director for Dairy at Feeding America. “Access to nutritious foods like milk, yogurt and cheese can make a meaningful difference for families facing food insecurity. Through our partnership with the dairy community, we’re helping alleviate hunger today while supporting long-term health for tomorrow.”

Spotlight: Through the Milk2MyPlate program, the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Prairie Farms deliver more than 25,000 gallons of milk each month to Illinois families—a model now inspiring other regional food bank partnerships nationwide.

Innovation That Extends Access

Food and nutrition security depend on more than donations; they require structural improvements in how nutritious foods are produced and moved. The dairy community invests in value chain upgrades such as optimized cold-chain logistics, increased shelf-life for dairy products and stronger ties to local food-bank networks.

These innovations help more milk, yogurt and cheese reach underserved communities reliably, while also enabling processors and farmers to operate more efficiently and cost effectively. As the Innovation Center’s work demonstrates, advancing nutrition security is a shared industry priority about “delivering dairy nutrition that meets emerging and personalized health needs and enhancing nutrition security in the U.S. and around the world.”

Spotlight: Processors and cooperatives participating in the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment are adopting new technologies to cut food waste and improve distribution efficiency – advances that make nutritious dairy more available and affordable.

A Shared Commitment to Nutrition Security

The Innovation Center’s success stems from collaboration. By uniting farmers, food manufacturers and NGOs, the dairy community is creating scalable solutions that address both immediate hunger and long-term health.

As populations grow and food costs rise, that commitment is more important than ever. Now is the time for industry leaders, retailers and community partners to build on proven models and expand access to affordable nutrition year-round.

Food insecurity isn’t only about hunger. It’s about lost potential. When families have steady access to affordable, nutrient-dense foods, communities thrive. The Innovation Center is proving what’s possible when science, sustainability and compassion work together. Because when nutritious food is within reach, every community grows stronger.

Learn more at usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center and join the effort to make nutrition security a lasting reality.