Research & Practice
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Incentive Structures and Purchasing Patterns at Farmers Markets (FM)
Fruits and vegetables (FV) are part of a healthy diet, yet cost is a barrier for people with limited income. In Washington State, 12% of households face food insecurity, the limited availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, which negatively impacts their health and well-being. About 14% of Washingtonians cannot afford enough food, consequently 15% receive benefits to buy food under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In Washington State, nearly 80 farmers markets (FM) operate regionally-based SNAP incentive programs to encourage SNAP participants to shop for local produce, including FV.
With the help of a Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grant, Washington State Department of Health funds FM SNAP incentive programs in six distinct regions. These programs use variations of matching SNAP benefits with incentives to encourage purchase of FV. The current project compares incentive structures (i.e., match ratio and cap) to determine how they affect purchasing patterns and how they are perceived at FM. Both quantitative data, collected from SNAP transactions, and qualitative data, collected from market manager interviews and SNAP participant feedback cards, are used to evaluate incentive structures.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Greg Wisont
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2018
Adviser(s):