A few months back I wrote about a farmers market programs that, in tandem with different city and state agencies, were trying to incentivize better and
healthier food options for lower-income families. On Wednesday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) added $31 million in grants to help families that
rely on SNAP programs.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has awarded $31.5 million in funding to local, state, and national organizations to support programs that help participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increase their purchase of fruits and vegetables. Recognizing that all Americans fall well short of the servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the grants will test incentive strategies to help SNAP participants better afford fruits and vegetables. These grants were made through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
$3.7 million of that money will be going into programs
in the Los Angeles area.
The grant, announced Wednesday, will support California Market Match, which provides a financial incentive to people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - formerly known as food stamps - to buy fresh produce at farmers markets.
The program matches dollar-for-dollar the amount spent at participating farmers markets on fruit and vegetables - up to $10 per shopping outing in L.A. County.
There's no such thing as wasting money on healthy food.