142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Organizations that Fund or Participate in SNAP-Based Incentive Programs at Farmers Markets: Findings from the USDA FNS Farmers Market Incentive Program Study

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

Melissa R. King, M.S.P.H. , Health Studies, Westat, Rockville, MD
Sujata Dixit-Joshi, PhD, MPH , Health Studies, Westat, Rockville, MD
Keith MacAllum, PhD , Health Studies Group, Westat, Rockville, MD
Eric Sean Williams, Ph.D. , SNAP Research and Analysis Division, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Alexandria, VA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Introduction:  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service is committed to increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables through farmers markets (FM).  While in recent years, USDA has actively assisted FMs in overcoming barriers to program authorization, private, public, and nonprofit organizations have played a role, as well.  To encourage SNAP recipients to shop at FMs, some of them fund, administer, and support SNAP-based incentive programs (SBIPs), which provide SNAP participants with matching funds to purchase additional SNAP-eligible food items at participating FMs.  Although USDA provides no funding for them, markets operating SBIPs are required to inform USDA of their program and comply with SNAP rules and regulations.   This study characterized organizations involved with SBIPs, and assessed SBIP funding streams, implementation approaches, and self-evaluation data.

Approach:  Between February and June 2013, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with representatives from 103 organizations that fund, administer, or support SBIPs at FMs.  As available, SBIP organizational performance data was assessed.

Results:  Characteristics of organizations that fund, administer, and support SBIPs will be presented, as well as the availability of SBIP performance data.

Discussion: FM SBIPs’ sustainability and best practices for selection of FMs to operate SBIPs, as well as implementation and monitoring of SBIPs will be discussed.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Describe barriers faced by SNAP participants and vendors at farmers markets. Define SNAP-based incentive programs at farmers markets and explain ways in which these have assisted both vendors and SNAP participants in overcoming obstacles to local fresh fruits and vegetables. Discuss the future of SNAP-based incentive programs and areas for improvement.

Keyword(s): Nutrition, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the first author on the USDA FNS report that this presentation is based on and the Project Director for the Contract. I was key to the design, data collection, analysis, and writing of the report.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3247.1: Supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) at Farmers Markets