Only 8.4% of Pennsylvania adults are eating the recommended serving of fruit per day. Healthy food is too expensive for the 1 in 9 food insecure Pennsylvanians. Unhealthy diets and food insecurity cost the state and federal governments hundreds of billions of dollars per year in healthcare and other costs. Nutrition Incentives help bridge this gap by allowing SNAP participants to stretch their benefits further when they buy fruits and vegetables at participating retailers.
PENNSYLVANIA CAN HELP MORE FAMILIES BENEFIT FROM NUTRITION INCENTIVES
More than 20 states have invested funding into nutrition incentives. A $2 million recurring annual investment could double the number of households reached by SNAP Incentive programming, support 25 additional retailers, and be leveraged for more federal investment.
Take Action: Tell your state senator and representative, “Let’s Expand Healthy Food Access in PA!”
Nutrition Incentives: A Triple Win
SNAP incentives simultaneously increase consumption of nutritious produce and stimulate local economies by unlocking demand for fruits and vegetables. When linked to local agriculture, the benefits extend to Pennsylvania farmers: As shoppers buy more food for their families, farmers make more money, serve more customers, and grow more food.
Food Bucks, a program of The Food Trust, is one of the largest nutrition incentive programs in PA. To participate, shoppers using SNAP benefits swipe their EBT cards and receive a token, paper coupon, digital coupon or discount for fresh fruits and vegetables when purchasing eligible items. Food Bucks are currently offered in 17 counties, at over 100 locations, and support more than 30 grocery stores and 48 farmers markets – including all Fresh Access markets and several Fresh Corners stores. In recent years, Food Bucks have enabled Pennsylvanians to purchase an additional $300,000 annually in fruits and vegetables. The program reaches nearly 55,000 households in PA every year. CLICK HERE TO SEE A MAP OF LOCATIONS
Food Bucks are supported in part by the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), a federal grant program that supports projects to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among SNAP participants. GusNIP grant recipients must provide a 1:1 match for every federal dollar. Many states have appropriated funds for this match.
Now is the time for Pennsylvania to invest in farmers, retailers and communities
A $2 million recurring annual investment would support our efforts by:
- Increasing the annual amount of Food Bucks redemptions to $1 million in fruits and vegetables.
- Doubling the number of households reached by SNAP Incentive programming to 100,000 households or more.
- Supporting 25 additional retailers including with a mix of supermarkets, farmers markets, “mom and pop” corner stores across different geographies.
- Leveraging the state funding to apply for another USDA GusNIP grant, which would provide a 1:1 match with federal funding
Take Action: Tell your state senator and representative, “Let’s Expand Healthy Food Access in PA!”
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