ER Advice Boosts Healthy Eating for SNAP Particpants

Low-income families were more likely to use their SNAP benefits on nutritious food after learning that their dollars can be doubled for more fruits and vegetables, according to another article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

 A University of Michigan-led team conducted five-minute conversations in the waiting room of a health clinic. They spoke about  a program called Double Up Food Bucks , the program matches food assistance dollars spent on fruits and vegetables. This brief interaction prompted the rise of fruit and vegetable consumption and led to an almost four-fold increase in program use among families.

 Double Up, run by national nonprofit Fair Food Network, is now available at more than 200 farmers markets, grocery stores, and other retail outlets across Michigan. Up to $20 in SNAP funds spent per market visit are matched with free Double Up Food Bucks that can be used to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable consumption increased among study participants by almost two-thirds of a serving per day - with the greatest increases among those who used Double Up the most.

Health Incentive programs such as Double Up, exist in approximately forty states throughout the U.S.

 Source: News-Medical.net, 1/19/17, ER Advice Works