Action
States should promote access to healthy foods. Healthy, affordable food is not readily available in many communities, especially in those that are rural or in low-income urban areas. This lack of access to healthy food contributes to obesity and poor overall health.
Process
There are many ways that states can promote access to healthy food, but a key step is to educate business owners. States can provide business development assistance to store owners, vendors and farmers on a range of business practices including accounting, marketing and product management. For example, states can target small-scale food retailers in low-income communities, providing them with financial and technical assistance in exchange for their commitment to improve their selection of healthy foods or make other changes to better meet the needs of local customers.
States can also work to link small grocers with local farmers. By connecting farmers’ market associations with existing markets, states can help locally grown, healthy food get into food retail outlets. Participating farmers are able to sell more products in more outlets, while sharing costs for transportation and storage.
Farmers’ markets can play an important role in providing access to healthy food. States can encourage farmers’ markets to locate in low-income communities by providing grants and space. In order to best serve low-income shoppers, farmers’ markets should be encouraged to accept electronic benefit transfer cards. States can provide electronic benefit transfer systems to farmers’ markets, as well as coupons to participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and to seniors that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets.
Examples
Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative (PDF)
In 2004, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development teamed up with three Philadelphia-based non-profits — The Food Trust, the Reinvestment Fund and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition — to establish the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a statewide financing program designed to attract grocery stores to under-served urban and rural communities. The Fresh Food Financing Initiative leverages capital and private sector investment to provide grants and loans that offset the higher costs of developing new stores and refurbishing existing stores in low-income urban and rural areas.
New York’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
New York’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program provides checks to low-income, nutritionally at-risk families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Senior Nutrition Programs. The checks are redeemable for fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets.
California’s Farmers Market Electronic Benefit Transfer Program
California’s Farmers Market Program started as a demonstration program in 2003 to support Electronic Benefit Transfer in nontraditional markets, such as farmers’ markets, produce stands and similar open-air markets. The Farmers Market Program is now implemented statewide, and current participation includes farmers’ markets, individual produce stands, fish vendors and flea markets. This successful program continues to grow in participation.
