Increased fruit and vegetable purchases among SNAP recipients are expected to lower obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in the U.S and would be cost saving under a wide range of scenarios. He can personally attest to the health impact felt by his customers who are using the Fresh Access Bucks program to double their SNAP dollars for fresh fruits and vegetables. He says thank you EVERY TIME he shops with us,” says Jeff Wright, owner of Wright’s Natural Market in New Port Richey. It's the first time in twenty years he is below 275 pounds. "An elderly man in a food desert has improved his health, energy and lost weight (much needed for health reasons). More than half the households the Feeding America network serves have at least one member living with high blood pressure, and more than one-third have a member with diabetes.Īiming to make those choices easier and increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables, FAB plans to add 20 additional farm-direct locations and 13 additional grocery locations to the current 68 locations stretching across 26 counties in Florida. When people make these hard choices, they don’t have enough food, or have to choose inexpensive foods with low nutritional value, seriously impacting their health.
For every $1 spent with SNAP/EBT, customers receive $1 in Fresh Access Bucks for Florida-grown fresh fruits and vegetables, doubling their dollar for nutritious options.Īccording to the Hunger in America study, 66% of households served by Feeding America reported choosing between food and medical care. “We are excited that this grant will allow us to continue the expansion of our Fresh Access Bucks into both farmer’s markets and traditional retail outlets in rural Florida.”įresh Access Bucks is a nutrition incentive program that matches SNAP/EBT dollars spent at farmers markets, farm stands, community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, mobile markets and community grocers across the state. Our Fresh Access Bucks program is an important asset to provide families on SNAP an incentive to access healthy produce,” said Robin Safley, Executive Director of Feeding Florida. “Our network is committed to using all tools available to ensure Floridians have access to healthy, nutritious food. Tallahassee, FL – On Wednesday, August 18, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced a $4.9 million award to Feeding Florida, continuing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program(SNAP) nutrition incentive program, Fresh Access Bucks (FAB). The award from the GusNIP COVID Relief and Response grants program (GusCRR) will extend by four more years the Fresh Access Bucks program’s work to help low-income communities improve the affordability and consumption of fruits and vegetables by vulnerable participants in communities in need.
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