Local Economy

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

History

In March of 2010, Fair Food Network (FFN) gathered key information from recognized leaders in the field of community food systems with the goal of using the knowledge to help inform potential investment in the field. The information FFN sought from these leaders concerned the innovative programs and business activities that are currently being considered and implemented and the resources needed to bring these innovations to scale.

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.

The cherry blossoms are in bloom again in Washington, DC, signaling the start of…the Congressional farm bill discussion season! Today, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Farms, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 in the Senate and the House.

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.

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.

Congress is planning to cut up to $16 billion from low-income food aid over the next five years. But research shows that every dollar spent on assistance pays for itself and grows the economy.

Cherries and berries for sale at the Westmoreland Berry Farm stand at the Arlington Farmers' Market in Arlington, Virginia (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)