International Food Aid Programs Prioritize U.S. Dairy
August 4, 2026
NMPF welcomed the Trump administration’s announcement of a new partnership to expand the use of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) to combat severe acute malnutrition worldwide, an important step forward for both global nutrition and America’s dairy farmers.
The U.S. State Department will provide up to $100 million over the next two years through Operation End Starvation to deliver life-saving nutrition assistance, building on the administration’s distribution of more than 27,000 metric tons of RUTFs that treated nearly 2.7 million children in 15 countries last year. RUTF incorporates U.S. milk powders, providing high-quality dairy protein and essential nutrients that are critical to treating severe acute malnutrition and wasting among young children.
The announcement reflects years of advocacy by NMPF and USDEC to expand the use of U.S. dairy ingredients in international food assistance programs. Congress in February approved a record $300 million in funding supported by NMPF for RUTF procurement, helping ensure that American-produced milk powders continue to play a central role in treating malnutrition while creating an additional market for U.S. dairy producers.
NMPF and USDEC also submitted comments to USDA on July 24 urging the department to expand dairy’s role in the non-emergency Food for Peace program. The organizations encouraged USDA to incorporate U.S. milk powders into school milk and other controlled feeding programs through reconstituted fluid milk, increase procurement of dairy-containing SuperCereal+ formulations, and continue broadening the use of nutrient-dense U.S. dairy ingredients in food assistance.
The comments emphasize dairy’s nutritional value, long shelf life, established safety standards, and the opportunity to pair humanitarian assistance with long-term market development by introducing children to dairy products in emerging markets.
