These incentive programs are vital to increasing access to healthy foods that provide key health benefits and nutritional value. According to FNS, “A key barrier to healthy eating is lack of access or enough money to buy nutritious food” and it is backed by research that these programs help improve nutrition security in America.

What products can be incentivized?

Products that can be incentivized include…

Fruits and vegetables:

• 100% fruit/vegetables juices
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • like berries, apples, lettuce, broccoli, legumes, and more

• Canned, dried, and frozen whole fruits (depending on nutritional value)

Whole grains:

• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Millet
• Oats
• Wild rice
• Buckwheat
• Dark rye
• Whole grain products with whole grain listed as the first ingredient

Dairy:

• All varieties of low or non-fat milks
• Low or non-fat yogurt
• Low or non-fat buttermilk
• Low or non-fat kefir
• Low or non-fat cheese

Examples of how SNAP retailers can incentivize the purchase of the above healthy items include: double bucks/extra funds, discounts like 15% off, coupons for future use, or bonus food items.

How are they incentivized?

Any SNAP retailer can operate an incentive program! Programs like GusNIP and HFMI are federally funded programs in which retailers can apply for a grant. Additionally, there are local, state, and private programs that retailers can apply to if federal funding is not an option. If you do go the local, state, or private route, retailers have to get a waiver from FNS which you can learn more about on the FNS website.

Where can these programs be implemented?

These programs can be implemented in retail stores like grocery stores (small and large), bodegas, convenience stores, farmers markets, and online retailers.

Some examples from USDA of these federally funded SNAP incentive programs include:

• SNAP households in Menomonie, Wisconsin can earn a $5 or $10 voucher to purchase fruits and vegetables at their next visit when they shop with SNAP benefits at participating Menomonie Food Co-Op locations.
• Grocery retailer Meijer also offers discounts, ranging from $5-10 or 5-10% off, for fruits and vegetables purchased with SNAP benefits.

Learn how you can participate in this program on the FNS website

SNAP retailers have a large influence on SNAP recipients, as their store inventory is supplying SNAP recipients with items they need. It is important for SNAP retailers to be knowledgeable about the needs of SNAP recipients and how to cater inventory to focus on health and nutrition. SNAP-Ed is committed to working with organizations, like SNAP retailers, to ensure they are equipped with the proper resources and receive marketing, merchandising, customer newsletter, and technical product placement advice.

Retailers can also…

• Advertise fresh produce and nutritional items
• Provide recipe ideas, especially low-cost recipe ideas
• Create healthy check-out lanes that feature nutritional snacks over candies

In addition to what SNAP retailers can do, USDA recommends the following community efforts to support SNAP-Ed…

• Develop and implement nutrition and physical activity policies at organizations with high proportions of SNAP-Ed eligible individuals
• Collaborate with schools and other organizations to improve the school nutrition environment
• Coordinate with outside groups to strategize how healthier foods can be offered at sites, such as emergency distribution sites, food pantries, and more
• Establish community food gardens in low-income areas to benefit both individuals and communities
• Provide consultation, technical assistance, and training to SNAP-authorized retailers
• Encourage more farmers markets to accept EBT and participate in low-income areas

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, food deserts are commonly found in areas with…

• Smaller populations
• Higher rates of abandoned/vacant home
• Residents who have lower incomes, lower levels of education, and higher rates of unemployment

Nearly 39.5 million people in the United States are living in low-income or low-access areas, according to USDA research. There are approximately 6,500 food deserts in the United States that are impacting 13.5 million people that live directly in these food deserts. That is a large number of people living with limited access to nutritious foods that are crucial to proper health and development.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Researchers identify food deserts by factoring in a variety of things including…

• Access to food, as measured by distance to a store or by the number of stores in an area
• Household resources, including family income and vehicle availability
• Neighborhood resources, such as average neighborhood income and access to public transportation

How can you help?

• If you are a store owner, apply to accept EBT benefits
• Try to increase access to stores in these areas by encouraging improved public transportation systems
• If you are a c-store owner in a food desert, add more fresh foods to your inventory
• If you are a farmer, consider setting up a market or pop-up stand in these areas several times a month
• Get involved with your community to promote increased access to healthy foods in these areas and work to add more stores in the area and educate community leaders on the importance of access to healthy foods

Learn More About Food Deserts

USDA stresses the importance of having a balanced plate through the MyPlate program. Proper nutrition is important for many reasons throughout all stages of life. In the early stages, proper nutrition is essential for healthy development and in the later stages, proper nutrition is important for maintaining health/improving quality of life. Let’s wrap up National School Lunch Week by talking about the importance of proper nutrition. 

Certain foods provide essential nutrients that help us strengthen and maintain our bodies.

FRUIT

Fruit provides us with nutrients like potassium which aids in healthy blood pressure, fiber which can lower the risk of heart disease and can reduce blood cholesterol levels, vitamin c and folate which are important for growth and repair of body tissue.

VEGETABLES

Vegetables also provide us with potassium, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C and provide similar benefits as fruit.

WHOLE GRAINS

Whole grains provide us with dietary fiber and B vitamins, which contribute to healthy metabolism.

PROTEIN

Protein provides us with protein which is the building block for muscles, B vitamins which help build tissue and aid in forming red blood cells, and magnesium which helps support muscle function.

DAIRY

Dairy provides us with calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, protein, potassium, zinc, choline, magnesium, and selenium. These contribute to a variety of things, but in general dairy supports developing bone health in children and maintains bone health in adults.

It is important to note that calories and portion size will depend on a variety of factors, including age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. To see your personalized portion sizes and calories you can create your own MyPlate Plan, but as a general rule your plate should look something like the below…

Ultimately, it is important to make sure you are getting adequate nutrition at any age. A balanced plate provides you with easy ways to meet your daily essential nutrient intake and support developing, or maintaining, a healthy body. A great way to get fresh fruits, veggies, meat, and dairy products is from your local farmer or farmers market. If this is unattainable, then of course you can get these at your local grocery store! MyPlate has some excellent resources on budget friendly meals that check all the nutrition boxes.

 Read About National Farm to School Month

Did you know?

According to Farm Bureau…

• There are around 2 million farms in the U.S.
• 98% of farms are family operated
• 86% of U.S. agricultural products are produced on family farms/ranches
• One acre of land can grow a variety of crops, including 50,000 pounds of strawberries or 2,784 pounds (46.4 bushels) of wheat
• About 8% of U.S. farms market foods locally through direct-to-consumer or intermediated sales
• One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad

Farmers also contribute to food security in America. Thanks to their productivity and efficiency, Americans enjoy a food supply that is abundant, affordable and among the world’s safest. U.S. farmers also contribute to global food security by exporting to developing countries in Southeast Asia, Central America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. U.S. exports to these areas have grown at nearly twice the annual rate, an effort supported by the USDA. In 2018, $139.6 billion worth of American agricultural products were exported around the world. The United States sells more food and fiber to world markets than we import, creating a positive agricultural trade balance.

Without farmers, these efforts would not have been possible. Farmers have a great impact not only in the United States, but around the world as well!

Ways to support your local farmer, according to the farmers almanac…

• Visit your local farmers market to buy fruit, veggies, meat, dairy products, and more.

• Visit pick-your-own farms, which can be an especially fun fall activity. You can pick your own pumpkin in the fall, your own strawberries in the summer, and even flowers in the spring! Search for a pick-your-own farm near you for a fun day!

• Get involved in local festivals and activities that support farmers. If your town doesn’t have any events, consider trying to start an annual festival that supports farmers in your community.

School Nutrition Association recommends getting involved by…

• Decking out your cafeteria with NSLW posters and other artwork portraying nutritious lunch foods. This is a great opportunity to make use of the annual theme in the way you illustrate and depict your lunchtime favorites. If your school is open to it, you can have students create a mural or permanent artwork for year-round display.
  
• Getting in touch with local personalities like business owners, elected officials, athletes, news anchors, musicians, or someone else your students will recognize, and invite them to stop by your cafeteria at lunchtime to eat with the students. If you can’t find a local celebrity, you can always have the school mascot or ask a volunteer to dress up as a movie or TV character.
  
• Inviting teachers, administrators or even your school principal to stand in as guest servers for lunch one day.
  
• Offering a tasting of new menu items and talk to students about the nutritious benefits they get from certain foods. Tell them they get vitamins and minerals from all the colorful fruits and vegetables or explain to them the way whole-grains provide carbs for sustained energy during recess or sports practice.

The National School Lunch Program was created in 1962 under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to bring awareness to the importance of nutrition in schools, as proper nutrition is essential to allowing schoolchildren to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. NSLP is a federally assisted meal program administered through FNS that provides schoolchildren with low-cost or free lunches that are nutritionally balanced.  NSLP services nearly 30 million children every single school day.

The Federal Research and Action Center (FRAC) wants you to join them in the following activities to celebrate the week…

1.   Monday, October 10^th: Shout-out a School Lunch Champion

Is there a school nutrition director in your community making a difference? Celebrate these champions by tagging them on Twitter and sharing how they go above and beyond to increase the reach of school lunch. Don’t forget to tag @FRACTweets as well so that your message can be amplified!  

2.   Tuesday, October 11^th: Raise Your Hand for Healthy School Meals for All

Show your support for Healthy School Meals for All today! Take a picture of you raising your hand for #SchoolMealsForAll and tag your Members of Congress. Be sure to tag @fractweets so that your message can be retweeted.

3.   Wednesday, October 12^th: Support Child Nutrition Provisions in Child Nutrition Reauthorization

Join FRAC in telling Congress to speak out in support of the “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act” which would expand the Community Eligibility Provision, making a significant step in the direction of #SchoolMeals4All  

4.   Thursday, October 13^th: Share Your Story: What Has Free School Meals for All Meant for You?

FRAC is working hard to achieve Healthy School Meals for All throughout the country. Use this form below to share how free school meals in the 2020-2021 or 2021-2022 school year helped your family or the families you work with. If your school no longer offers free meals to all students, please share how it is impacting you.  

5.  Friday, October 14^th: Join a School Lunch Twitter Chat

Join FRAC and MomsRising for a Twitter chat at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on the importance of school lunch and opportunities for increasing participation.  

You can join in on the celebration on social media by using #NSLW22 and #peaceloveandschoollunch.

Learn More About National School Lunch Program

This year’s theme is “who’s at the table?” which intends to highlight all who contribute to our food system. National Farm to School Network envisions a food system where no one is left out and in which school lunches are nutritious, culturally relevant, cooked from scratch, and sourced from local farmers. This will work to improve access to healthy foods as well as support the local economy.

National Farm to School Network recommends getting involved by…

• Being Inspired: Follow the National Farm to School Network on social media to see inspiring examples of farm to school success and innovation.
• Getting Involved: Explore our national calendar of Farm to School Month events to see how you can celebrate in your state.
• Spreading the Word: Shout out about farm to school and share what you’re doing for National Farm to School Month with the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool on social media.
• Exploring Resources: Check out our free resources for planning and promoting celebrations in your community, including our Farm to School Month Celebration Toolkit, customizable posters and bookmarks, stickers and more.

National Farm to School Month is a great way to support farmers and local school systems. By continuing to support local farmers and by bringing their food into school lunches, we can make a food system where everyone has access to nutritious foods.

Read More About National Farm to School Month

While the agriculture industry has lagged in diversity compared to other industries, it has certainly made giant leaps of improvement in the last few years to become as diverse as the nation it feeds. Being a diverse industry has massive benefits in today’s world. Recent marketing research shows that “31% of U.S. consumers said they purchased more from minority-owned businesses in the past 12 months.”

Because of this fact, it is important to make sure we diversify all our industries, for the benefit of everyone. USDA Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, said “these funding opportunities are historic and part of USDA’s unwavering commitment to advancing equity for all, including people who have been underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. When we address longstanding inequities, our entire country benefits.” Vilsack stressed the importance of diversifying the agricultural industry by stating “land access, heirs’ property, affordable credit and access to reliable markets — along with consistent access to help from well-trained experts — are essential to strengthening our communities. USDA is equally committed to partnering with minority-serving institutions to establish exciting and fulfilling pathways for Next Generation leaders to have careers in agriculture, nutrition, food, development, and in the federal government.”

The latest USDA initiative includes …

• Up to $300 million for “Increasing Land, Capital and Market Access” Projects Aimed at Helping Underserved Producers.
• $250 million for the “From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals” program to Create Career Development Opportunities for Next Gen Scholars at Minority-Serving Institutions.

With National Farmers’ Month right around the corner, this is a great initiative to support American farmers as we gear up to celebrate them in the month of October.

Learn More About Latest USDA Grants and Funding for Farmers

Supporting your local farmer is an excellent way to boost your local economy while also gaining access to fresh, ethically sourced foods. The Farm to School program takes this a step further by incorporating this concept in our schools. This allows kids to have access to fresh foods while also learning about local farms and how to support the local economy. Here is just a snapshot of the Farm to School program impact …

The National Farm to School Network “envisions a nation in which farm to school programs are an essential component of strong and just local and regional food systems, ensuring the health of all school children, farms, environment, economy and communities.” Farm to school program implementation usually looks like this …

• Procurement: Local foods are purchased, promoted, and served in the cafeteria or as a snack or taste-test
• School gardens: Students engage in hands-on learning through gardening; and
• Education: Students participate in education activities related to agriculture, food, health, or nutrition.

This program is also a win for everyone. School children win because they are eating more nutritious and high-quality foods and the education part of the program offers hands on learning about farming and health. Farmers win because they tap into a new market and have a new, steady stream of income from school systems. Communities win because the local economy is being boosted and there is increased networking between community figures (teachers, farmers, administrators, families). This program is another great step among other USDA/FNS efforts like accepting SNAP at farmers markets and the National School Lunch Program that aim to create a closer community, boost the efficiency of the local food supply chain, and increase access to healthy, nutritious foods for all.