Local, sustainable food is important, but it's not always accessible or affordable, especially for low-income families. But that's about to change for many Minnesota residents.
Once known as “food stamps” and now called SNAP, the federal program to help feed low-income families currently covers 1 in 8 Americans. That’s almost 39 million people redeeming nearly $50 billion dollars worth of calories through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. A lot of mouths, a lot of money--and for a society trying to cut down on obesity and diet-related illnesses, a great opportunity to connect consumers with locally grown farm-fresh produce.
To that end, the USDA has put out a
new guide to help farmers markets figure out how they can participate in the SNAP program--it relies on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, but if a vendor doesn’t have access to the technology necessary for EBT transactions, there’s a manual voucher option instead.
The Twin Cities is rich in farmers markets, but how many sun-ripened peppers and juicy tomatoes make their way into the kitchens of SNAP families? Not as many as there could be--but that’s changing.
The big
Minneapolis Farmers Market has just rolled out their EBT acceptance program. As of July 1st, it joins the
Midtown Farmers Market and the
Northeast Minneapolis Farmers Market in helping bring low-income families and healthy foods together.
The Midtown market has even partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to offer an extra veggie boost to EBT users--Market Bucks, a program that rewards the first $5 spent with a matching $5 to use on further produce purchases. It’s a great idea, and its spreading--according to its
Twitter account, the Minneapolis Farmers Market will also start participating in Market Bucks on July 15th.
Still, that leaves the St. Paul Farmers Market, with its extensive network of satellite markets, and the upscale Mill City Farmers Market, among the local venues shutting out EBT users. Of course, the machines and training necessary to make EBT happen put a financial burden on the markets. The USDA suggests that markets might have luck turning to local nonprofits for help getting their EBT programs started. Hopefully, the trend will continue, assuring the many Twin Citians who rely on food assistance that they are welcome in the vibrant crowded markets that add so much flavor to our cities’ culture.