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By Aliss Higham
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Low-income households could receive an additional $60 each month to buy fruits and vegetables under the Fresh Bucks for Fresh Produce Act, a new proposal introduced in the House of Representatives.
The legislation would create a pilot program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that allows participating states to provide monthly produce benefits to households earning no more than 80 percent of their area's median income. Families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would automatically satisfy the income requirement.
The proposal comes amid a federal push for SNAP to be used to promote healthier diets, with several states moving to prohibit recipients from purchasing products such as soda, energy drinks and candy.
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What Would the Fresh Bucks Act Do?
Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington and nine other House members introduced the legislation on July 2. The bill would direct the agriculture secretary to award grants to states to establish their own Fresh Bucks programs.
Participating households would receive $60 every month through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards or another existing state payment system. The money would expire after 30 days and could be spent only on qualifying produce at approved retailers. Eligible purchases would include fresh, frozen or dried fruits and vegetables without added fat, sugar or salt. Herbs and plant starts that can be used to grow qualifying foods would also be covered.
The benefit would be available at farmers markets, independent grocery stores, farm stands, supermarkets and any additional retailers approved by the USDA. It would be provided on top of SNAP and other assistance rather than replace existing benefits.
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"As families struggle to keep food on the table, Congress must prioritize work on efforts to lower costs and help Americans stay afloat," Jayapal said in a July news release. "While Republicans in Congress enacted legislation to raise food prices and are hellbent on cutting food assistance, Seattle is once again leading the way with the Fresh Bucks program, which is successfully keeping people fed with nutritious food and reducing hunger. We must pass this legislation to expand the program nationwide and get families in every corner of the country healthy produce they can afford."
Her office said the national pilot was modeled on Seattle's Fresh Bucks program. According to figures provided by the office, participants in that initiative had a 31 percent higher food security rate and were 37 percent more likely to eat at least three daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
Who Could Receive Fresh Bucks Payments?
Households would qualify for the pilot if their income was at or below 80 percent of the median income for their local area, as determined by the USDA in consultation with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
SNAP households would be considered to have met that threshold without undergoing another income assessment. Other potentially eligible households would have to complete an application, although the bill says the process should be short, easy to access on a mobile device and designed to present few barriers.
States would also be encouraged to avoid asking applicants to verify information already held through programs such as SNAP, Medicaid or child care subsidies. Each household would be limited to one application.
The legislation includes provisions intended to prevent families from unexpectedly losing access to the payments. State programs would need straightforward renewal procedures, grace periods, clear deadlines and customer support.
Mollie Van Lieu, the vice president of nutrition and health at the International Fresh Produce Association, said the proposal would allow families greater control over how and where they purchased healthier foods.
"The International Fresh Produce Association is grateful to Representative Jayapal for introducing the Fresh Bucks for Produce Act to make fruits and vegetables more accessible to income-eligible individuals. This type of intervention empowers consumers to access the fruits and vegetables that are right for their families and in retail locations that work for them. Minimizing barriers to fresh fruit and vegetable consumption means making the healthy choice the easy choice—and this bill would do just that."
Reaching Areas With Limited Food Access
States seeking funding would have to submit plans explaining how they intended to reach communities with limited access to food and increase the number of participating retailers. The bill identifies mobile markets, delivery services and partnerships with community organizations or health clinics as possible ways to connect households with produce.
Grant money could be used to hire staff, work with local organizations, contract with EBT providers and acquire the necessary payment-processing technology. States could also provide financial and technical assistance to participating retailers.
Applications focused on communities experiencing food insecurity would receive preference. The USDA would be required to select at least one state from each of five regions: the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, West, Midwest and South. The USDA would then study if the pilot improved household food security and increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
Participating states would report information such as how much of the monthly benefit families used, where they spent it and whether their diets or food security changed. The department would also examine barriers such as transportation, distance from retailers, store opening hours and the price and availability of produce.
An initial report would be due to Congress between six and 12 months after the legislation became law. A final report would be required within five years and would assess whether the program should continue, expand to additional states or provide larger monthly payments.
SNAP Purchases Under Scrutiny
The measure takes a different approach from efforts promoted by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to encourage SNAP participants to buy healthy foods.
As part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, the officials have supported state restrictions targeting products considered unhealthy, including sugary drinks and sweets.
States require USDA approval to impose those restrictions through waivers. A number of states have received permission to exclude certain products, although the exact rules differ by location. Louisiana, for example, implemented a ban earlier this year on SNAP benefits being spent on soft drinks, energy drinks and candy.
Supporters of purchase restrictions argue that reducing access to sugary and heavily processed products through SNAP could encourage healthier eating. But the changes haven't been without criticism and action: In March, several SNAP recipients sued the USDA, arguing that restrictions on purchases make it harder for families to access food and manage health conditions.
What Happens Next
The Fresh Bucks for Fresh Produce Act has been referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Shakeema Edwards.
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