ShopRite Improves Access to Milk, Dairy Products for SNAP Shoppers

Retailer teams with USDA, Baylor University to increase nutritious milk options at New Jersey stores

6/30/2022

Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, was on hand at the launch of ShopRite’s Add Milk! campaign.

ShopRite has launched the Add Milk! campaign at select New Jersey stores to improve access to milk and dairy products for low-income families.

Add Milk! is a pilot program of Baylor University’s Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program, which runs for a full year, boosts the purchasing power of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars spent on milk and other dairy products, helping shoppers purchase more nutritious food at a time of ever-rising inflation.

When SNAP customers purchase skim milk or 1% milk with a Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, a dollar paper coupon is generated for every whole dollar spent. The coupon can be used on their next dairy purchase. Any dairy product can be redeemed that lists fluid cow’s milk or cream as a first ingredient, which includes items like yogurt and cheese.

“ShopRite is proud to take part in a program that helps families get the food they want and need for their families,” said Neil Greenstein, owner and operator of the ShopRite of Newark, a participant in Add Milk! and the setting for the recent program launch. “We know that milk and dairy provide important and essential nutrients for children, and we believe the Add Milk! incentive will make it easier for families, especially those struggling with food insecurity, to access those important foods.”

New Jersey ShopRite stores launching Add Milk! include:

ShopRite of Newark: 206 Springfield Avenue, Newark
ShopRite of East Orange: 533 Martin Luther King Boulevard., East Orange
ShopRite of Kearny: 100 Passaic Avenue, Kearny
ShopRite of Hillside: 370 Route 22, West Hillside

Other New Jersey ShopRites are expected to implement the program later this summer, including stores in Elizabeth, Bayonne and Jersey City, and the Columbia Park store in North Bergen.

“USDA is committed to prioritizing nutrition security — which includes consistent access to healthy, affordable foods and beverages that promote good health, such as milk,” said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for USDA’s Food Nutrition and Consumer Services. “This innovative program is an excellent example of collaborative action with our partners that uses incentives to encourage SNAP households to purchase and consume more milk — a win-win for promoting healthy diets and supporting American agriculture.”

In addition to promoting proper child brain and bone development, consuming cow's milk provides a natural source of protein and reduces the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. However, 90% of Americans do not meet the recommended amounts for dairy consumption, according to Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty.

“Milk is one of our healthiest, safest and most sustainable beverages – and it is essential for a child’s development,” said Dr. Lori Kanitz, project director at the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, in Waco, Texas. “The Add Milk! Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive program could not come at a better time. With families feeling the pinch of rising prices and the lingering effects of the pandemic, the USDA’s commitment to keeping kids healthy through the Add Milk! program makes milk more affordable for those who need it most.”

“We applaud the collaboration among USDA, Baylor University, and ShopRite to bring healthy, nutritious milk options to SNAP participants in New Jersey as part of the Add Milk! Program,” added Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association. “Milk contributes 13 nutrients to the American diet, including high- quality protein, calcium, vitamin D and potassium, and health benefits including better bone health and lower risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Add Milk! Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive program should be viewed as a positive model for strengthening the health and wellness of children and adults participating in SNAP in cities and states across the country.”

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., the largest retailer-owned grocery cooperative in the United States. Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern comprises nearly 50 members that independently own and operate 361 supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The company is No. 25 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 listing of North America’s top food and consumables retailers in North America.