Food Access

For Immediate Release—May 14, 2013

Double Up Food Bucks program boosts local economy and healthy food access

New report confirms healthy incentives programs are good for farmers and low-income consumers

Tri-Caucus briefing focuses on collaboration by Fair Food Network, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and PolicyLink.

At FFN, we engage with stakeholders from many walks of life: low-income consumers who receive SNAP benefits, health care providers who serve low-income communities, community organizers, national thought leaders, and policymakers. Sustainable agriculture organizations, the antihunger community, the produce lobby, the consumer lobby, religious communities, and public health and health care organizations are critical allies in Farm Bill policy and politics.

On December 5, 2012, I had the opportunity to participate in a Telephone Town Hall Meeting held by Fair Food Network’s Strengthening Detroit Voices project. Fair Food Network (FFN) is a nationally-recognized nonprofit organization that “works at the intersection of food systems, sustainability, and social equity to guarantee access to health, fresh, and sustainably-grown food for all, particularly in underserved communities.”

Let’s start with what (you think) you know: You have been bombarded with negative press about Detroit: lack of access to healthy foods, violence in the city, poverty, and blight. There is no question that there is work to be done, but our goal at Fair Food Network is to ensure that the strengths of the city and its residents are recognized and utilized in order to create a bright future for Detroit.

Besides redesigning the food system to ensure access to healthy food for all, Fair Food Network knows that a sustainable food system can also mean economic development for Detroiters. Beginning in the fall of 2011, Fair Food Network implemented the pilot Detroit Grocery Incubator (DGI) program, seeking to train potential grocery store entrepreneurs to open and operate food-related businesses in their communities.

Conventional wisdom says that to change behavior you need to use both a carrot and a stick. Fair Food Network’s Double Up Food Bucks Program (DUFB) demonstrates that even small incentives will change food purchasing and consumption habits.

DETROIT — Dedicated to building a just and sustainable food system, the Fair Food Network has launched two new programs in Detroit. The Detroit Grocery Incubator program could increase grocery stores in Detroit and the Double Up Food Bucks program will allow Michigan Bridge card users to match their dollars with the purchase of Michigan-grown fresh foods and vegetables.

In a city where liquor stores often double as grocery stores, fresh, affordable produce is often hard to come by for Detroit residents. This is especially true for low-income households that receive food assistance and have to stretch a set monthly food allowance.