Purchasing and spending at mobile fruit and vegetable carts and use of SNAP benefits

introduction: New York City’s “Green Carts” program establishes mobile fruit and vegetable vendors in low-income neighborhoods with limited access to fresh food. NYC assisted some Green Cart vendors to obtain electronic benefit transfer (EBT) machines necessary to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. We examined the impact.

methods: Data were collected at 4 Green Carts in the Bronx, NY in Summer 2013, Fall 2013, and Summer 2014. Two Carts were equipped with EBT machines, one was not, and one received one mid-study. Customers participated in a “bag check” and survey in English or Spanish, and vendors were interviewed. Purchasing and spending patterns were analyzed and compared.

results: 782 surveys were collected. Most customers were female, Hispanic/Latino, had a high school degree or less, and a household annual income less than $25,000.  On average, consumers spent $4.19 per transaction. 42% of the sample reported receiving SNAP benefits. Those who used SNAP benefits for their purchase spent on average $3.81 more than customers who paid with cash. SNAP users also purchased a greater variety of fruits and vegetables than those who paid with cash: 3.68 types, on average, compared to 1.96 types among cash customers.

discussion: Our results show a positive correlation between the use of SNAP benefits compared to cash and the total amount spent, and variety of produce purchased per transaction at Green Carts. There may be a benefit to increasing the availability of EBT machines at Green Carts.