To motivate people receiving food support to purchase additional vegetables and fruits, the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allocate $25 million to 3 states.
The incentive pilot program would attract recipients of what was once known as food stamps to purchase “healthy foods by giving a voucher, discount, gift voucher, bonus food items or additional dollars when they buy particular foods, like fruits and vegetables.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “a major challenge to good nutrition is not having access or enough income to buy nutritious food.” According to research, incentive programs are a good method to encourage healthy eating and increase Americans’ access to nutritious food.
The program has faced opposition for being paternalistic, favoring some food sectors over others, and promoting increased government lobbying.
The trial program launches at a time when SNAP spending has reached a record high of $119.5 billion between 2019 and 2022, a 98% increase. The supplemental pandemic payments which are currently being taken down are responsible for a portion of the rise.
To give recipients additional money to spend on nutritious foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has doubled the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits it offers.
