Food Stamp Program Subsidies for Produce – Massachusetts

Food stamp discount for buying produce, By Patrick G. Lee, August 19, 2010, Boston Globe: “More than two dozen cities and towns in Western Massachusetts will be the focus of a major federal initiative being announced today to increase low-income families’ consumption of fruits and vegetables, as part of the nation’s efforts to combat obesity. The Agriculture Department awarded $20 million to Massachusetts and a Cambridge-based research firm to test whether providing subsidies for buying produce will encourage food stamp recipients in Hampden County communities – including Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke – to eat more nutritious meals. Of the 50,000 households in Hampden County that rely on food stamps, several thousand will be offered a 30-cent discount for every dollar spent on fresh fruits and vegetables, while other families will continue to pay full price. Households will be tracked for 15 months to see whether their eating habits change and health outcomes, including obesity rates, improve. State officials hope to begin the program in fall 2011. The experiment, authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, will guide policy makers in Washington as they consider how to revamp food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to promote better dietary habits among Americans…”