Progress 06/01/17 to 09/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Food on the Move (FOTM) is a year-round mobile produce market that brings fresh, healthy produce to the people and places that need it most. FOTM makes healthy food more affordable by offering a 50% discount on produce purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars. FOTM was informed by over a decade of research, including 2 NIH randomized controlled trials, which found significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants. FOTM aims to help older adults improve nutrition and food insecurity, better manage diet-related chronic diseases, and maintain independence. Food on the Move was funded through this grant for 5 years. Halfway through this project period, we tailored our model to best fit the purchasing needs of our customers based on evidence from a 360-degree evaluation of the Food on the Move program. From 2017 through 2019, Food on the Move operated a monthly model where we visited over 20 unique market sites once every month across the state of Rhode Island. Starting in 2020, we transitioned from monthly to weekly markets at our sites to better serve the regular food needs of our target audience. In the summer of 2018, we conducted the aforementioned 360-degree evaluation of the Food on the Move program to evaluate the impact that FOTM has on individual customers, as well as to learn more about the population served. During the 2018 evaluation effort, FOTM staff and interns surveyed 325 FOTM customers and conducted 6 focus groups with SNAP recipients in both English and Spanish. The results of the evaluation showed that 54% of our population identified as being part of various communities of color; 47% identified as Hispanic or Latinx, 6% identified as Black or African American, 1% as Asian, and 39% identified as White or Caucasian. Additionally, 66% of customers surveyed reported that their highest level of education was a high school degree or less, and 20% reported being unemployed. Almost half (49%) of respondents report an annual household income of less than $10,000 and 37% of customers surveyed reported receiving disability benefits. Lastly, almost a quarter of respondents reported that lack of transportation has kept them from getting to where they buy most of their fruits and vegetables. Further, The 2018 evaluation showcased the level of food insecurity faced by our customers. Almost half (43%) of respondents have low or very low food security, and 47% reported that they received food from a food pantry in the last month. The vast majority of respondents (80%) received SNAP benefits at that time, and the majority (67.5%) reported that SNAP benefits did not last the entire month. In addition to the challenges that SNAP customers shared, they also reported significant improvements in diet and purchasing power as a result of the Food on the Move program. The majority of customers who participated in the survey reported being able to better manage their health, diet, and weight (84%, 85%, and 73% respectively). Notably, 76% of SNAP customers reported that their SNAP benefits lasted longer as a result of shopping at Food on the Move and over 80% reported buying and eating more fruits and vegetables because of the SNAP discount. In late 2019, FOTM upgraded the point-of-sale software to EPOSNow. The EPOSNow software enabled us to track person-level purchase data by implementing a digital "loyalty card" for each FOTM customer. This unique loyalty card program allows us to collect person-level purchase and demographic data and can connect this data to any research or evaluation survey data collected from the population. Since 2020, we have enrolled 655 unique individuals into the loyalty card program and gathered basic demographic information on those individuals. Serving a diverse population continues to be a top priority for FOTM; 50% identify as Hispanic or Latinx, 15% as Black or African American, 4% as American Indian or Native American, and 33% identify as White or Caucasian. The majority of our customers (67%) are female and the average age of a FOTM customer is 66 years of age, ranging from 20 to 99 years old. Further, the vast majority of our population live alone (70%) and almost 80% have an income less than 250% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, the majority of customers (79%) receive SNAP benefits. Since 2020, Food on the Move has been conducting a longitudinal survey to better understand our customer base as well as the impact FOTM may have on food insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and chronic disease management. Baseline surveys are conducted when a new market site opens. Then we conduct follow-up surveys at 6-month and 12-month intervals. In this project period, we have conducted 219 baseline surveys and 121 secondary surveys. From these surveys, we found that the COVID-19 Pandemic has exacerbated the already overwhelming burden of food insecurity and chronic disease within our population. Of those who responded to the FOTM survey, an overwhelming 90% of our population reports having at least one chronic condition they are living with, and 41% report it is difficult to buy the food they need to follow doctors' recommendations for their conditions. Our customer base struggles with food insecurity; less than 50% of our customers note that SNAP benefits last them the entire month, at baseline. However, in our secondary surveys, we found that 62% of SNAP participants felt that their benefits were enough to last them the entire month. This may be indicative of Rhode Island's mandated "maximum benefit allowance" that all SNAP recipients received during the state of emergency resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Changes/Problems:Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Food on the Movefaced a number of challenges. These challengesincludedrequired market pauses when cases of COVID-19 were extremely high in Rhode Island,which made it difficult to maintain regular market schedules as well as expand to new market sites. During the last three years, we have been carefully working with infectious disease experts at our organization and listening to guidance from the Rhode Island Governor(s) to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff. To ensure safety we employed strategies such as holding markets outside, enforcing mask-wearing and social distancing, and creating a hands-free shopping experience for our customers. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RIPHI has a long-standing record of mentorship and training of public health professionals, hosting multiple interns every year. Throughout our grant period, we have hosted and mentored multiple interns for the Food on the Move program. Activities for interns working with FOTM have spanned all aspects including survey and data collection, quality assurance procedures, reporting, and marketing activities. Also, FOTM continuously employs part-time staff throughout the year to ensure the program is operationally sound. Part-time staff are offered opportunities to learn additional components of the program and complete trainings that may be beneficial to them within this role and beyond. Existing staff members have been onboarded and trained in data collection, supply chain protocols, food delivery procedures, and market logistics. We continue to build on the opportunities that staff and interns are provided to aid in training and development, as that is an important component of the FOTM program and the broader RIPHI agenda. Additionally, our staff are reflective of the communities we serve with the majority of market team members bi-lingual in English and Spanish. Starting in 2020, Food on the Move transitioned from monthly to weekly markets at our sites. During this transition, we began a partnership with the University of Rhode Island which runs Rhode Island's SNAP-Ed program. SNAP -Ed's mission is to teach SNAP participants to choose and prepare healthy foods on a budget. Since our model change, SNAP-ED has had a regular presence at markets due to our consistent weekly presence and continuously increasing customer base. At markets, SNAP-Ed sets up a table and is a resource for FOTM customers, speaking with them about individualized recipes based on their purchases, preferences, and dietary restrictions. In 2022, we worked with the SNAP-ED program to safely incorporate recipe food samples at markets in a manner that complies with our COVID-19 protocols. As part of its food equity mission, Food on the Move has a history of sourcing local, culturally appropriate produce. For the past several years, we have sourced directly through Southside Community Land Trust (SSCLT). In 2022, SSCLT expanded and streamlined its operations by partnering with Farm Fresh RI's (FFRI) Market Mobile program to sell its produce. As part of this partnership, we worked with FFRI & SSCLT to include culturally competent local produce offerings based on customer-specific preferences. By incorporating a culturally-competent selection, our customers will have access to hard-to-find produce that reflects their cultural norms and preferences that can be purchased at an affordable price. FOTM staff have worked with these vendors to continuously ensure that our produce inventory is culturally competent and inclusive of customer preferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The following evaluations and peer-reviewed articles have been published about Food on the Move programs during this project period: Evans, E. W., Lyerly, R., Gans, K. M., Alexander Scott, N., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials Into Sustained Public Health Programs: Food on the Move. Public health reports (Washington, D.C.: 1974), 333549211012409. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211012409 Rummo, P. E., Lyerly, R., Rose, J., Malyuta, Y., Cohen, E. D., & Nunn, A. (2021). The impact of financial incentives on SNAP transactions at mobile produce markets. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 18(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01093-z John, S., Lyerly, R., Wilde, P., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). The Case for a National SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program. American journal of public health, 111(1), 27-29. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305987 Lyerly, R., Rummo, P., Amin, S., Evans, W., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., Hallett, E., De-Oliveira, S., Rose, J., Sutten Coats, C., & Nunn, A. (2020). Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing access and affordability of fruits and vegetables among low-income seniors. Public health nutrition, 23(17), 3226-3235. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final grant report. As this grant concludes, we are thrilled to continue offering the 50% discount on produce purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars with our current Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Grant. Further, in the coming year, we also plan to apply for the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Produce Prescription Program grant. Food on the Move is a direct service program of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute (RIPHI). RIPHI owns and operates Open Door Health, the state's first and only LGBTQ+ clinic which provides primary care, sexual health care, family planning services, and gender-affirming care to Rhode Island's diverse community. We hope to coordinate a referral system between Open Door Health and Food on the Move, so that patients can have easy access to fresh produce as medicine. In short, Food on the Move is a program that has the potential to serve many of Rhode Island's marginalized populations with high rates of food insecurity, and we plan to explore feasible expansion avenues in the future.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Outcome 1: As of this final report, Food on Move holds 20 markets per month at senior public housing sites throughout the urban core of Rhode Island. From 2017 through 2019, Food on the Move operated a monthly model where we visited over 20 markets per month on average. In 2018, we conducted a thorough 360-degree evaluation of the Food on the Move program to better understand the impact of our markets on customer's dietary habits and health status. During this evaluation, customers provided feedback that 1 market visit per month was often not sufficient in fulfilling their monthly fruit and vegetable needs. Starting in 2020, Food on the Move transitioned from monthly to weekly markets at our sites. As a result, we partner with fewer host sites, but have seen an increase in both number of transactions and total purchases at the sites that we visit weekly. From 2020 through 2021, we operated at 3 regular markets on a weekly basis. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, FOTM was required to pause markets when cases of COVID-19 were extremely high in Rhode Island. This made it difficult to maintain regular market schedules as well as expand to new market sites. During the last two years, we have been carefully working with infectious disease experts and listening to guidance from the Rhode Island Governor(s) to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff. In November 2021, we expanded to a new market site that brought our total number of market sites up to 4 and brought the average number of markets held per month to 16. This market site is located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The Center for Disease Control has reported that Central Falls has long been a food desert where low-income residents struggle to access healthy food options due to a limited number of grocery stores. The partnership with this site, allowed us to not only serve the residents of this housing site, but also opened this FOTM market to the public and allowed us to extend our reach in the community. Thus far we have served 52 customers from the public, and 196 total customers at this site since opening and held 39 markets. In late August 2022, we then expanded to another new market site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The addition of this market brought the average number of markets held per month to 20. The United States Census Bureau reports that over 11% of Pawtucket households have incomes below the federal poverty line. Further, the Rhode Island Department of Human Services reports nearly all of these households participate in the SNAP program. Since the site opened on August 30, 2022, we have held 4 markets at this market site and served 71 customers. Outcome 2: Food on the Move's SNAP incentive redemption rate is 100% as a result of our innovative POS system and automated discount technology. During the first reporting period of our FINI grant, we implemented a new incentive structure, which offers an immediate 50% discount on all fruits and vegetables to FOTM shoppers using SNAP benefits. This incentive structure represents the same level of dollar-for-dollar match, but delivers the incentive as a discount directly at the point-of-sale and eliminates the gap in redemption. Upon instituting this incentive structure, our program achieved an immediate 100% redemption rate across all purchases made with SNAP benefits. During the FOTM evaluation effort in 2018, the majority of FOTM customers reported overwhelmingly positive feedback on this program change and described purchasing more fruits and vegetables during the month as a result. Outcome 3: As evidenced from our sales dates and comprehensive evaluation, we have achieved this outcome to increase the number of SNAP recipients who purchase fruits and vegetables after the 15th day of the month by 40%. From 2017 through 2019, Food on the Move operated a monthly model where we visited multiple sites once over the course of the month. In 2018, we conducted a thorough 360-degree evaluation of the Food on the Move program. This evaluation included surveying customers at the FOTM markets and conducting focus groups with SNAP recipients in both English and Spanish. This evaluation showed that 80% of our customers were receiving SNAP benefits at that time. The majority of SNAP customers (67.5%) reported that SNAP benefits do not last the entire month, and almost half (46.6%) used a food pantry in the past month. However, 76% of SNAP customers reported that their SNAP benefits lasted longer as a result of shopping at Food on the Move markets. In addition, over 80% reported buying and eating more fruits and vegetables because of the SNAP discount. We continue to make strides to increase purchasing power in the last two weeks of the month, and have seen a steady increase in market utilization and purchasing during this time frame for the last three years. As of August 2022, Food on the Move operated 114 total markets, year to date, averaging 62 weekly SNAP transactions in the last 2 weeks of every month. This is an increase from our 2021 average of 28 and 2020 average of 20 weekly SNAP transactions in the last 2 weeks of every month. Similarly, our purchasing data indicates that we are averaging more SNAP dollars spent at our markets in the last 2 weeks of every month in 2022 as compared to previous years. Specifically, in 2022 we have averaged $187 in SNAP/EBT sales per market in the last 2 weeks of the month to date compared to the 2021 average of $99 and the 2020 average of $49 in SNAP/EBT sales per market in the last 2 weeks of every month. Overall, we have seen an over 200% increase in transactions and average EBT sales since 2020. Throughout this project period, we have conducted total SNAP sales of $180,529.36. Remarkably, we also saw a 25% increase in survey respondents who felt that their benefits were enough to last them the entire month. During our baseline survey collection in 2020, we found that less than 50% of respondents noted that SNAP benefits last them the entire month. However, in our secondary surveys, we found that 62% of respondents felt that their benefits were enough to last them the entire month. These increases may be attributed to increased market utilization, as well as Rhode Island's mandated "maximum benefit allowance" that all SNAP recipients received during the state of emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcome 4: To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of all changes to the program, Food on the Move conducts continuous quality improvement across activities, including the SNAP incentive structure. FOTM upgraded the point-of-sale software to EPOS Now in 2019. This software allows us to digitally monitor and track sales data in great detail. EPOS Now also has enabled us to track person-level purchase data and implement a digital "loyalty card" for each FOTM shopper. As a result of this change, FOTM has improved efficiency and effectiveness during the checkout process, reducing staff burden and time spent at checkout for each customer using SNAP benefits for their purchase. Specifically, we no longer have to physically provide, manage and collect 'Rhody Bucks' (gift cards). Instead, we are able to digitally access customer accounts through the EPOS Now software, as well as instantaneously provide a 50% discount through an enhancement within this software to instantly redeem SNAP incentives for each individual customer. EPOS Now also allows us to digitally track indicators in real-time, including: sales and transaction data, total number of transactions using SNAP and SNAP dollars redeemed, and SNAP dollars as a fraction of overall sales. During focus groups with Food on the Move customers, we learned that they were extremely satisfied with the new SNAP incentive structure. This, coupled with the 100% redemption rate of SNAP incentives during the last 3 years, showcases the improved effectiveness and efficiency of changes to the SNAP incentive structure.
Publications
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Progress 06/01/21 to 05/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Food on the Move (FOTM) is a year-round mobile produce market that brings fresh, healthy produce to the people and places that need it most. FOTM makes healthy food more affordable by offering a 50% discount on produce purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars. FOTM was informed by over a decade of research, including 2 NIH randomized controlled trials, which found significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants. FOTM aims to help older adults improve nutrition and food insecurity, better manage diet-related chronic diseases, and maintain independence. Rhode Island has a rapidly aging population and ranks as one of the healthiest states for older adults. However, disparities persist; According to a recent report from the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, 19% of Rhode Island adults ages 60 and older identified as food insecure in 2021. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports Rhode Island has one of the highest rates of SNAP usage among low-income older adults in the country. On a statewide level, the Rhode Island Department of Human Services reported that adults ages 60 and older were nearly 22% of the total statewide 2021 SNAP caseload and 100% of the population who live in poverty participated in SNAP. For this reason, FOTM specifically targets sites that serve low-income older adults. Further, the Rhode Island Latinx population experiences significant food access barriers. These barriers worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Latinx households experienced the highest levels of food insecurity of any population in Rhode Island last year. Specifically, 34 percent of Hispanic/Latinx households in the state reported food insecurity in 2021. Currently, over 21,000 Latinx Rhode Islanders participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Approximately 50% of our current customer base self-identify as Latinx. Food on the Move conducts a longitudinal survey to better understand our customer base as well as the impact FOTM may have on food insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and chronic disease management. We have conducted 207 baseline surveys and served over 400 unique individuals in the last 2 years. The majority of our customers (67%) are female and the average age of a FOTM customer is 67 years of age, ranging from 20 to 99 years old. We serve a diverse population, with 40% of our population identifying as any race other than White or Caucasian; 32% identify as White or Caucasian, 16% as Black or African American and 4% as American Indian or Native American. The vast majority of our population live alone (72%) and over 79% have an income less than 200% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, the majority of customers (76%) receive SNAP benefits. We have conducted 207 baseline surveys and have enrolled over 500 unique individuals into our loyalty card program over the last two years. The majority of our customers (67%) are female and the average age of a FOTM customer is 67 years of age and ranging from 20 to 99 years old. We serve a diverse population with 68% of our population identifying as being part of various communities of color; 50% identify as Hispanic or Latinx, 32% identify as White or Caucasian, 16% as Black or African American, and 4% as American Indian or Native American. The vast majority of our population live alone (72%), 60% receive disability benefits and 80% have an income less than 235% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, the majority of customers (78%) receive SNAP benefits. FOTM's mission is to increase access to healthy foods to improve health outcomes within these populations. Changes/Problems:Due to the high transmission of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, Food on the Move closed markets for the first 3 weeks of January 2022. This decision resulted from the guidance of our Chief Medical Officer. After this pause, markets began on 1/24/2022. At this time, we anticipate further potential challenges as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Although we have been able to operate markets in a safe and effective manner since late January, we continue to evaluate FOTM on an ongoing basis to ensure our program is safe for FOTM customers and staff. We anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic may require program changes and pauses to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Despite these challenges, we remain committed to our program goals. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RIPHI has a long-standing record of mentorship and training of public health professionals, hosting multiple interns every year. Since our last report in December 2021, we have onboarded 3 interns who have worked across different activities in the FOTM program. Activities for interns working with FOTM have spanned all aspects including survey and data collection, quality assurance procedures, reporting, and marketing activities. Also, FOTM continuously employs part-time staff throughout the year to ensure the program is operationally sound. Part-time staff are offered opportunities to learn additional components of the program and go through additional training that may be beneficial to them within this role and beyond. Existing staff members have been onboarded and trained in data collection, supply chain protocols, food delivery procedures, and market logistics. We continue to build on the opportunities that staff and interns are provided to aid in training and development as that is an important component of the FOTM program and the broader RIPHI agenda. We also anticipate adding to our part-time staff and group of interns in the next reporting period Food on the Move prioritizes partnerships with community organizations whose goals are mission aligned with that of FOTM. For example, we have a long-standing partnership with the University of Rhode Island's SNAP-ED program, whose mission is to teach SNAP participants to choose and prepare healthy foods on a budget. Representatives from the SNAP-ED program have visited 20 markets so far in 2022. At these markets, SNAP-ED sets up a table and is a resource for FOTM customers, speaking with them about individualized recipes based on their purchases and preferences, and dietary information. In 2022, we have worked with the SNAP-ED program to safely incorporate recipe food samples at markets in a manner that complies with our COVID-19 protocols. As part of its food equity mission, Food on the Move has a history of sourcing local, culturally appropriate produce. For the past several years we have sourced directly through Southside Community Land Trust (SSCLT). This year SSCLT is expanding and streamlining its operations by partnering with Farm Fresh RI's Market Mobile program to sell its produce. In this vein, our goal is to also partner with Farm Fresh RI to source produce from local SSCLT farmers. As part of this partnership, we will work with FFRI & SSCLT to include a culturally competent local produce offering based on customer-specific preferences. By incorporating a culturally-competent selection, our customers will have access to hard-to-find produce that reflects their cultural norms and preferences that can be purchased at an affordable price. FOTM staff will have the opportunity to work with these vendors to continuously ensure that our produce inventory is culturally competent and inclusive of customer preferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The following evaluations and peer-reviewed articles have been published about Food on the Move programs in during this project period: Evans, E. W., Lyerly, R., Gans, K. M., Alexander Scott, N., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials Into Sustained Public Health Programs : Food on the Move. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 333549211012409. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211012409 Rummo, P. E., Lyerly, R., Rose, J., Malyuta, Y., Cohen, E. D., & Nunn, A. (2021). The impact of financial incentives on SNAP transactions at mobile produce markets. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 18(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01093-z John, S., Lyerly, R., Wilde, P., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). The Case for a National SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program. American journal of public health, 111(1), 27-29. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305987 Lyerly, R., Rummo, P., Amin, S., Evans, W., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., Hallett, E., De-Oliveira, S., Rose, J., Sutten Coats, C., & Nunn, A. (2020). Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing access and affordability of fruits and vegetables among low-income seniors. Public health nutrition, 23(17), 3226-3235. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020002931 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have three main priorities for the next reporting period. The first of these priorities is to continue increasing our market utilization at current housing sites. To do so, we plan to incorporate new referral technology into our program. Unite Us is a referral tool that will connect us to a network of social service organizations in Rhode Island. After incorporated, organizations in this network will be able to refer customers and patients to our Food on the Move market which is open to the public in Central Falls, Rhode Island. More information about the Unite Us platform can be found here. Also, we will be hiring a new FOTM Coordinator due to the promotion of our current FOTM Coordinator, Matt Helm, to another role in the organization. We will ensure the new Coordinator brings a passion for the FOTM program and food access overall. The new FOTM Coordinator will be onboarded and trained early in the next reporting period. Additionally, we plan to continue our program expansion efforts and open new market sites. In the next reporting period, we plan to open a new site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Pawtucket is an area in need of the Food on the Move program. The United States Census Bureau reports that over 14% of Pawtucket households have incomes below the poverty line. Further, nearly all of these households participate in the SNAP/EBT program (Rhode Island Department of Human Services, 2021; United States Census Bureau, 2020). Our Food on the Move customers have a high chronic disease burden and during the next reporting period, we would like to link them to care. RIPHI owns and operates Open Door Health (ODH) Clinic where our Food on the Move customers are able to be linked to care. Open Door Health has front desk staff that speak Spanish that will meet the cultural and language needs of FOTM customers. Additionally, ODH offers patient navigation that can help FOTM clients to get access to supportive services and linked to other additional benefits. We will begin to give FOTM patients information about the Open Door Health Clinic.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Outcome 1: Implement a minimum of 25 'Food on the Move' markets per month for the duration of the project period. Starting in 2019, we transitioned from monthly to weekly markets at our sites. As a result, we partner with fewer host sites, but have seen an increase in both number of transactions and total purchases at the sites that we visit weekly. After a brief market pause in early January due to high COVID-19 transmission rates, we have held an average of 16 markets per month and a total of 67 markets in 2022 to date. In the next reporting period, one of our main priorities is to expand to 1 new market site(s). By Fall 2022, we plan to open a new site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The United States Census Bureau reports that over 14% of Pawtucket households have incomes below the poverty line. Further, nearly all of these households participate in the SNAP/EBT program (Rhode Island Department of Human Services, 2021; United States Census Bureau, 2020). Outcome 2: By June 2017, increase the redemption rate of 'Rhody Bucks' SNAP nutrition incentives from 80% to 100%. During the first reporting period of our FINI grant, we fully implemented a new incentive structure, which offers an immediate 50% discount on all fruits and vegetables to FOTM shoppers using SNAP benefits. This incentive structure represents the same level of dollar-for-dollar match, but delivers the incentive as a discount directly at the point-of-sale and eliminates the gap in redemption. Upon instituting this incentive structure, our program achieved an immediate 100% redemption rate across all purchases made with SNAP benefits. While this 100% redemption rate has been in place since 2017, we continue to see annual growth in customers taking advantage of the SNAP incentive. In 2022, we have sold over $32,000 in produce, $26,347.26 of which were transactions using SNAP benefits. We have provided over $13,000 in SNAP incentives in 1202 transactions. The average SNAP customer purchased approximately $22 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables for about $11 per visit because they used their SNAP benefits at Food on the Move markets. During the FOTM evaluation effort in 2018, the majority of FOTM customers reported overwhelmingly positive feedback on this program change and described purchasing more fruits and vegetables during the month as a result. In early 2022, we conducted a small-scale qualitative evaluation of FOTM and collected feedback from customers in their own words. This feedback reinforced our customer's positive view of the program change. Outcome 3: By June 2017, increase the number of SNAP participants who purchase fruits and vegetables after the 15th day of the month by 40%. We conducted a thorough 360-degree evaluation of the Food on the Move program in the summer of 2018 to better understand the impact the market has on customers. This evaluation included surveying customers at the FOTM markets and conducting focus groups with SNAP recipients in both English and Spanish. This evaluation showed that 80% of our customers were receiving SNAP benefits at that time. The majority of SNAP customers (67.5%) reported that SNAP benefits do not last the entire month, and almost half (46.6%) used a food pantry in the past month. However, 76% of SNAP customers reported that their SNAP benefits lasted longer as a result of shopping at Food on the Move markets. In addition, over 80% report buying and eating more fruits and vegetables because of the SNAP discount. In 2022, our purchasing data indicates that we have averaged 59 weekly SNAP transactions to date in the last 2 weeks of every month. This is an increase from our 2021 average of 36 weekly SNAP transactions in the last 2 weeks of every month. This increase may be attributed to sales at our new market site, which opened in November 2021, as well as increased SNAP benefits provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, our purchasing data indicates that we are averaging more SNAP dollars spent at our markets in the last 2 weeks of every month in 2022 as compared to previous years. Specifically, we have averaged $319.45 in SNAP/EBT sales per market in the last 2 weeks of the month to date as compared to 2021 average of $259.10 in SNAP/EBT sales per market in the last 2 weeks of every month. This increase may be attributed to increased market utilization at partner housing sites, as well as increased SNAP benefits provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late February, we conducted a small-scale qualitative evaluation of FOTM and collected feedback from customers in their own words. One customer stressed the importance of FOTM in affording healthy food and extending SNAP dollars until the end of the month: "I like it. The products are fresh and the prices and the 50% discount makes things more affordable for me every week!" We continue to make progress towards increasing the purchasing power of SNAP recipients at the end of every month by creating simple and convenient market processes for our customers. For instance, we have integrated the SNAP incentive directly into our point of sale technology, conducted markets on a consistent schedule, and focused market advertising efforts since the start of this project. In the next reporting period, we will continue to evaluate outcomes related to SNAP purchasing power in the last 2 weeks of every month. Outcome 4: By March 2020, evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of changes to 'Rhody Bucks' incentive structure. Food on the Move conducts continuous quality improvement across activities, including the SNAP incentive structure. With support from this grant, FOTM upgraded the point-of-sale software to EPOS Now in 2019. This software allows us to digitally monitor and track sales data in great detail. EPOS Now also has enabled us to track person-level purchase data and implement a digital "loyalty card" for each FOTM shopper. As a result of this change, FOTM has improved efficiency and effectiveness during the checkout process, reducing staff burden and time spent at checkout for each customer using SNAP benefits for their purchase. Specifically, we no longer have to physically manage and collect 'Rhody Bucks' (gift cards). Instead, we are able to digitally access customer accounts through the EPOS Now software, as well as instantaneously use a 50% discount through an enhancement within this software to instantly redeem SNAP incentives for each individual customer. EPOS Now also allows us to digitally track indicators in real time, including: sales and transaction data, total number of transactions using SNAP and SNAP dollars redeemed, and SNAP dollars as a fraction of overall sales. During focus groups with Food on the Move customers, we learned that they are overall extremely satisfied with the new SNAP incentive structure. This, coupled with the 100% redemption rate of SNAP incentives during the last 2 years, showcases the improved effectiveness and efficiency of changes to the SNAP incentive structure.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Evans, E. W., Lyerly, R., Gans, K. M., Alexander Scott, N., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials Into Sustained Public Health Programs : Food on the Move. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 333549211012409. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211012409
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Progress 06/01/20 to 05/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:? Food on the Move (FOTM) is a year-round mobile produce market that brings fresh, healthy produce to the people and places that need it most. FOTM makes healthy food more affordable by offering a 50% discount on produce purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars. Our program was informed by a decade of research, including two NIH randomized controlled trials, which found significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants. Rhode Island has a rapidly aging population and ranks as one of the healthiest states for older adults. However, disparities persist; according to a recent report from Feeding America, 10.5 % of adults ages 60 and older in Rhode Island experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports Rhode Island having one of the highest rates of SNAP usage among low income older adults in the country. More specifically, 100% of adults ages 60 and older who live in poverty participate in SNAP. For this reason, FOTM specifically targets sites that serve low-income older adults. We have been able to use our novel and unique approach utilizing a "loyalty card" program to collect person-level purchase data and connect this data with basic demographic and survey response data, in a subset of our population. Food on the Move conducts a longitudinal survey to better understand our customer base as well as the impact FOTM may have on food insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and chronic disease management. We have conducted 194 surveys and served over 400 unique individuals in the last two years. The majority of our customers (67%) are female and the average age of a FOTM customer is 68 years of age and ranging from 20 to 98 years old. We serve a diverse population with 66% of our population identifying as any race other than White or Caucasion; 48% identify as Hispanic or Latinx, 30% identify as White or Caucasian, 17% as Black or African American and 5% as American Indian or Native American. The majority of FOTM customers identify as multiple races or "other race" (43%). The vast majority of our population live alone (74%) and over 90% have an income less than 235% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, the majority of customers (78%) receive SNAP benefits. Of those who responded to our baseline survey, 61% collect disability benefits, 78% are overweight, over 90% have at least 1 chronic disease and almost all have at least 1 health condition. Almost half (41%) of our respondents report difficulty buying food needed to follow doctors recommendations for health conditions. FOTM's mission is to increase access to healthy foods to improve health outcomes within these populations. Changes/Problems:At this time, we anticipate challenges as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Although we have implemented strict COVID-19 safety protocols with the guidance of our Chief Medical Officer and have been able to operate markets in a safe and effective manner, we continue to evaluate FOTM on an ongoing basis to ensure our program is safe for FOTM customers and staff. We anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic may require program changes and pauses to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Despite these challenges, we remain committed to our program goals and hope to complete our secondary data collection through our survey administration within the next reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?RIPHI has a long standing record of mentorship and training of public health professionals, hosting multiple interns every year. In 2021, we had 4 interns work across different activities in the FOTM program. Activities for interns working with FOTM have spanned all FOTM aspects including survey and data collection, quality assurance procedures, reporting and marketing activities. Also, FOTM continuously employs part time staff throughout the year to ensure the program is operationally sound. Part-time staff are offered opportunities to learn additional components of the program and go through additional training that may be beneficial to them within this role and beyond. These staff members have been onboarded and trained in all FOTM programmatic aspects including data collection, supply chain protocols, food delivery procedures, and market logistics. We will continue to build upon the opportunities that staff and interns are provided to aid in training and development as that is an important component of the FOTM program, and the broader RIPHI agenda. Food on the Move prioritizes partnerships with community organizations whose goals are mission aligned with that of FOTM. For example, we have a long standing partnership with the University of Rhode Island's SNAP-ED program, whose mission is to teach SNAP participants to choose and prepare healthy foods on a budget. Representatives from the SNAP-ED program were at about a quarter of all FOTM markets throughout 2021. At these markets, SNAP-ED sets up a table and is a resource for FOTM customers, speaking with them about individualized recipes based on their purchases and preferences and dietary information. 172 total FOTM customers participated in conversations with SNAP-ED representatives and reported that the SNAP-ED program is helpful and insightful. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The following evaluations and peer reviewed articles have been published about Food on the Move programs during this project period: Evans, E. W., Lyerly, R., Gans, K. M., Alexander Scott, N., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials Into Sustained Public Health Programs : Food on the Move. Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 333549211012409. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211012409 Rummo, P. E., Lyerly, R., Rose, J., Malyuta, Y., Cohen, E. D., & Nunn, A. (2021). The impact of financial incentives on SNAP transactions at mobile produce markets. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 18(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01093-z John, S., Lyerly, R., Wilde, P., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., & Nunn, A. (2021). The Case for a National SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program. American journal of public health, 111(1), 27-29. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305987 Lyerly, R., Rummo, P., Amin, S., Evans, W., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., Hallett, E., De-Oliveira, S., Rose, J., Sutten Coats, C., & Nunn, A. (2020). Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing access and affordability of fruits and vegetables among low-income seniors. Public health nutrition, 23(17), 3226-3235. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020002931 The RIPHI Food Access Program Manager taught a webinar explaining how Food on the Move was used as the evidence base to inform statewide food access policies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have two main priorities for 2022. The first of these priorities is to increase our market utilization at our current housing sites. To do so, we plan to increase outreach and advertising efforts and implement a new "refer a friend program"at our current market sites. The "refer a friend program" would allow existing customers to receive a produce credit of $5 when a new customer that they refer is enrolled into our loyalty card program and shop with FOTM. These activities would allow us to reach more housing site residents in hopes of reaching at least 40% engagement from housing sites. Additionally, we plan to continue our program expansion efforts and open new market sites. To expand our program we will partner with the largest public housing authority in the state, the Providence Housing Authority (PHA), which provides affordable housing to more than 12,000 Providence residents. We have worked with PHA for over 10 years and PHA Executive Director Melissa Sanzarro serves on the RIPHI Board of Directors. Together, we will help vulnerable Rhode Islanders have affordable access to fruits and vegetables. We will partly use these supplemental funds to open three additional markets in 2022 at partnering housing sites that will bring healthy produce with a 50% SNAP incentive discount to even more low-income Rhode Islanders.?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Outcome 1: Implement a minimum of 25 'Food on the Move' markets per month for the duration of the project period. Starting in 2019, we transitioned from monthly to weekly markets at our sites. As a result, we partner with fewer host sites, but have seen an increase in both number of transactions and total purchases at the sites that we visit weekly. In 2020 and the first half of 2021, we held an average of 12 markets per month at 3 host sites. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, FOTM faced a number of challenges, including required market pauses when cases of COVID-19 were extremely high in Rhode Island which made it difficult to maintain regular market schedules as well as expand to new market sites. During the last two years, we have been carefully working with infectious disease experts at our organization and listening to guidance from the Rhode Island Governor(s) to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff. To ensure safety we employed strategies such as holding markets outside, enforcing mask-wearing and social distancing, and creating a hands-free shopping experience for our customers. We continue to monitor the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt COVID-19 protocols so that markets are in full compliance with government guidelines and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite the difficulties we faced in 2020 and currently amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we held a total of 49 markets. Throughout 2021, we held 73 total markets. In November of 2021, we expanded to a new market site that brought our total number of market sites up to 4 and brought the average number of markets held per month to 16 in the latter part of 2021. The new market site is located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Central Falls has long been a food desert where low-income residents struggle to access healthy food options due to a limited number of grocery stores (Sheldon et al., 2010). Further, most recent data indicates that nearly 15% of Central Falls residents participate in the SNAP program (Rhode Island Department of Human Services, 2021; Parker, 2021). While we expanded to one new site in 2021, further expansion efforts were complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing shortages. Coming into 2021, we planned to open new sites with the Providence Housing Authority (PHA). PHA provides affordable housing to more than 12,000 Providence residents. We have worked with PHA for over 10 years and PHA Executive Director Melissa Sanzarro serves on the Rhode Island Public Health Institute (RIPHI) Board of Directors. However, we were asked by PHA to delay this effort until 2022 due to staffing shortages within the housing sites. Supplemental funding from this request will, in part, be used to cover new costs associated with program expansion, such as gas for the Food on the Move vehicle and staffing expenses. Outcome 2: By June 2017, increase the redemption rate of 'Rhody Bucks' SNAP nutrition incentives from 80% to 100%. During the first reporting period of our FINI grant, we fully implemented a new incentive structure, which offers an immediate 50% discount on all fruits and vegetables to FOTM shoppers using SNAP benefits. This incentive structure represents the same level of dollar-for-dollar match, but delivers the incentive as a discount directly at the point-of-sale and eliminates the gap in redemption. Upon instituting this incentive structure, our program achieved an immediate 100% redemption rate across all purchases made with SNAP benefits. While this 100% redemption rate has been in place since 2017, we continue to see annual growth in customers taking advantage of the SNAP incentive. From September 1st, 2021 until December, 31st, 2021, we have provided over $5,318 in incentives to SNAP customers. Throughout all of 2021, ??$9,302.87 of SNAP incentives were provided to customers using SNAP benefits to shop at FOTM, compared to $4,649.52 in 2020. This is almost a 100% increase. In 2021, we had 907 transactions using SNAP benefits at FOTM markets, a 140% increase from 2020. The average SNAP customer purchased approximately $20.01 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables for about $10 per visit because they used their EBT cards at Food on the Move markets. During the FOTM evaluation effort in 2018, the majority of FOTM customers reported overwhelmingly positive feedback on this program change and described purchasing more fruits and vegetables during the month as a result. Outcome 3: By June 2017, increase the number of SNAP participants who purchase fruits and vegetables after the 15th day of the month by 40%. We conducted a thorough 360-degree evaluation of the Food on the Move program in the summer of 2018 to better understand the impact the market has on customers. This evaluation included surveying customers at the FOTM markets and conducting focus groups with SNAP recipients in both English and Spanish. The evaluation showed that 80% of our customers were receiving SNAP benefits at that time. The majority of SNAP customers (67.5%) reported that SNAP benefits do not last the entire month and almost half (46.6%) used a food pantry in the past month. In addition to the challenges that SNAP customers shared, they also reported significant improvements in diet and buying power as a result of the Food on the Move program. The majority of customers who participated in the survey reported being able to better manage their health, diet and weight (84%, 85%, 73% respectively). Notably, 76% of SNAP customers reported that their SNAP benefits lasted longer as a result of shopping at Food on the Move. In addition, over 80% report buying and eating more fruits and vegetables because of the SNAP discount. We continue to make progress towards increasing the buying power of SNAP recipients through Food on the Move's SNAP incentive through our immediate SNAP incentive discount, regularly scheduled weekly markets, and focused advertising efforts. We continue to evaluate outcomes related to purchasing power and stretching SNAP budgets through the end of the month through our purchase data on an ongoing basis. We hope to tailor additional strategies to continue to improve this outcome in the coming year and with this supplemental funding from the USDA. Outcome 4: By March 2020, evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of changes to 'Rhody Bucks' incentive structure. Food on the Move conducts continuous quality improvement across activities, including the SNAP incentive structure. With support from this grant, FOTM upgraded the point-of-sale software to EPOSNow in 2019. This software allows us to digitally monitor and track sales data in great detail. EPOSNow also has enabled us to track person-level purchase data and implement a digital "loyalty card" for each FOTM shopper. As a result of this change, FOTM has improved efficiency and effectiveness during the checkout process, reducing staff burden and time spent at checkout for each customer using SNAP benefits for their purchase. Specifically, we no longer have to physically manage and collect 'Rhody Bucks' (gift cards). Instead, we are able to digitally access customer accounts through the EPOSNow software, as well as instantaneously use a 50% discount through an enhancement within this software to instantly redeem SNAP incentives for each individual customer. EPOSNow also allows us to digitally track indicators in real time, including: sales and transaction data, total number of transactions using SNAP and SNAP dollars redeemed, and SNAP dollars as a fraction of overall sales. During focus groups with Food on the Move customers, we learned that they are overall extremely satisfied with the new SNAP incentive structure. This coupled with the 100% redemption rate of SNAP incentives during the last two years, showcases the improved effectiveness and efficiency of changes to the SNAP incentive structure.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Lyerly R, Rummo P, Amin S, Evans W, Dexter Cohen E, Lawson E, Hallett E, De-Oliveira S, Rose J, Sutten Coats C, Nunn A. Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing access and affordability of fruits and vegetables among low-income seniors. Public Health Nutr. September 4, 2020. doi:10.1017/S1368980020002931.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
John S, Lyerly R, Wilde P, Cohen ED, Lawson E, Nunn A. The Case for a National SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program. Am. J. Public Health. 2020 December 16; 111: 27-29. doi: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305987
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Evans W, Lyerly R, Gans K, Alexander-Scott N, Cohen E, Lawson E, Nunn A. Food on the Move: Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials into Sustained Public Health Programs. Public Health Rep. n.d. In press.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Rummo, P. E., Lyerly, R., Rose, J., Malyuta, Y., Cohen, E. D., & Nunn, A. (2021). The impact of financial incentives on SNAP transactions at mobile produce markets. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 18(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01093-z
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
The RIPHI Food Access Program Manager taught a webinar explaining how Food on the Move was used as the evidence base to inform statewide food access policies.
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Progress 06/01/19 to 05/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period, Food on the Move held 69 markets at 7 host sites in the urban core of Rhode Island. The host sites included one public library, one food bank, and 5 public housing sites. Food on the Move specifically targets sites that serve low-income seniors. We have focused on this demographic because our previous research demonstrated that the FOTM model had an especially high impact on fruit and vegetable consumption among older adults. Furthermore, our sales data demonstrates that FOTM markets that serve low-income senior housing sites outperform other sites. These markets consistently have a high number of customers and transactions and a higher proportion of total SNAP sales than other markets. A recent cross-sectional survey of 325 market customers highlights our success in reaching low-income seniors. More than eight out of ten customers are 50 years or older. Most of our customers are low-income, with 85% reporting annual household incomes below $20,000. We serve a diverse customer base with 48% identifying as Hispanic/Latino, 39% as non- Hispanic White or Caucasian, and 6% as non-Hispanic Black or African American. English and Spanish are the most common languages spoken at the market. In addition, the majority of customers live alone (62%) and are either retired or disabled (69%). Food insecurity is a problem for many of our customers, with 43% of customers screened as experiencing food insecurity in the past year. Most customers (80%) currently received SNAP benefits and almost half reported using a food pantry in the past month. Many of our shoppers are impacted by chronic disease. The majority of customers are either prediabetic (37%) or diabetic (27%). The other most prevalent chronic conditions were hypertension (54%) and high cholesterol (47%) and nearly half reported having been told by a doctor that they are overweight or obese. Lastly, approximately one-third of customers said that their health makes it difficult for them to go to a grocery store. Food on the Move aims to increase the access and affordability of fruits and vegetables, and three-quarters of existing customers buy most of their produce from our markets. Changes/Problems:At this time, our biggest concerns & challenges are resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak. We were on target to fully launch our markets during the week of March 16thbut had to pause until July to re-launch. However, because we hadalready collected a significant amount of data during the survey launch days,this market pause will allowed us time to import the loyalty card numbers into the POS, clean the data and begin formulating additional research questions based on the data. However, this market pause may impact our project sales deliverables. We have had one staffing change to note, Eliza Lawson is no longer with RIPHI and Kerri Connolly has taken the place of project director for this grant. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One of the pillars of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute is the training of future public health professionals. Our graduate level interns have had exposure to the development of survey instruments, baseline data collection, survey administration and data analysis. Our Food on the Move market staff have also received training in survey administration procedures. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The following journal articles and presentations are currently completed or in process: •In Press: •Public Health Nutrition: "Effectiveness of Mobile Produce Markets in Increasing Access and Affordability of Fruits and Vegetables Among Low-Income Seniors" •Public Health Reports: "Food on the Move: Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials into Sustained Public Health Programs" •Under review: •American Journal of Public Health: "The Case for a National SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program" •International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity: "Evaluating the Impact of Financial Incentives on SNAP Transactions Shopping at Mobile Produce Markets In Rhode Island" •Currently in development: •Health Promotion Practice: Title TBD - qualitative paper with focus group results •Presentations: •"Evaluating the Impact of Financial Incentives on SNAP Transactions at Mobile Produce Markets" The Obesity Society Annual Meeting (Nov. 2020) •"Increasing Evaluation Capacity for Community-Based Programs: Lessons Learned from Evaluating a Mobile Marking in Rhode Island" Community Food Systems Conference (2019) •"Impacts of the Food on the Move Statewide Mobile Produce Market on Purchase and Consumption of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables" American Public Health Association (APHA), Annual Meeting (2019) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We have already begun our activities for the next reporting period by implementing an outdoor market strategy to combat the effects ofCOVID-19. After, our Survey Launch Event in March of 2020, we were forced to close the markets for the safety of our staff and customers during the pandemic outbreak. In accordance with the RI Governor's state re-opening plan, we re-launched the Food on the Move markets in July of 2020. We adjusted our market program to be hosted outdoors and implemented a number of safety procedures including PPE and social distancing protocols to keep our staff and customers safe. Since July we have sold $4,058.36 worth of produce and distributed$1,217.62 worth of SNAP incentives. We intend to continue to grow the program and design a sustainability plan to bring the service to our customers in the winter months while adhering to the pandemic restrictions.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the months of June -September 2019 Food on the Moveheld 69 markets at 7 host sites in the urban core of Rhode Island. In September of 2019 we paused the markets to undergo a strategic planning process to implement the loyalty card program and formulate a plan to execute our programmatic research goals. We have received grant funding from both AARP and the Tufts Foundation to implement a longitudinal study with our customers and collect biometric measurements, including a lipid panel, A1C level, weight and waist circumference. Between January 2020 and March 2020, wesecured three new market sites to implement these research goals with a treatment naive population, meaning people who have not previously shopped at our markets. Each site was chosen to both meet the goals of this research and benefit the maximum number of low - income seniors. The demographics of our sites are as follows: Housing Site Number of Residents Number of Residents age 50+ Average yearly household income Percent of residents on Medicare Percent of residents that receive SNAP Charlesgate North Senior Living Center 208 170 $11,500 87% 72% Saint Elizabeth Place 160 147 $11,566.58 80% 85% Hillcrest Village Apartments 160 97 Approximately $12,000 90% 100% During this period, we completed baseline data collection on over 121 older adults. Data collection occurred at a Survey Day Launch Event at each of the sites from 12:00 - 4:00. The purpose of these events was both to enroll potential shoppers in our loyalty card program, which assists us in longitudinal data collection, and to collect baseline data. These events were a great success and had a very high customer turnout rate. We incorporated a social focus by offering our customers fruit, coffee & tea and by playing music. We also provided promotional materials and magnets. Customers had the choice of enrolling in only the loyalty card program through a 5-minute demographic questionnaire or participating in an approximately 25-minute survey (including loyalty card enrollment), where they would receive $5 off their first purchase at FOTM and to automatically entered to win a raffle prize. These surveys will be administered again in January 2021and January 2022. Customers who chose to participate in the survey could qualify for the Tufts Foundation biometric study if they self - reported diabetes or pre-diabetes during the survey. Our intake numbers for the loyalty card, survey and tufts study were excellent. Housing Site Number of customers enrolled in Loyalty Card only Number of Customers who participated in survey and Loyalty Card Number of customers who participated in Tufts Study Charlesgate North Senior Living Center 3 41 15 Saint Elizabeth Place 5 42 13 Hillcrest Village Apartments 3 40 20 Totals 11 123 48 During this time, we also identified the POS technology needed to implement our Loyalty Card Program. We hired a consultant that has the skills needed to write code that would provide us with additional, needed capacity to bulk export data from the POS system. This functionality will provide us with capacity to connect individual purchase level data with our longitudinal survey results. This will enable us to track unique customers and monitor their purchasing habits. The consultant will also build out a dashboard to increase the functionality of data manipulation, export and visualization.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Reece Lyerly1,2, Pasquale Rummo3, Sarah Amin4, Whitney Evans5, Eliza Dexter Cohen1, Eliza Lawson1, Eliza Hallett6, Sophia De-Oliveira1,7, Jennifer Rose8, Cassandra Sutten-Coats1,7, Amy Nunn Public Health Nutrition: Effectiveness of Mobile Produce Markets in Increasing Access and Affordability of Fruits and Vegetables Among Low-Income Seniors
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Whitney Evans, PhD, RD1; Reece Lyerly MS, MPH2,3; Nicole Alexander Scott, MD,
MPH4; Eliza Dexter Cohen, BA2; Eliza Lawson, MPH2; Kim M. Gans PhD, MPH5,6; Amy Nunn ScD2,5 Public Health Reports: Food on the Move: Translating Research-Funded Mobile Produce Market Trials into Sustained Public Health Programs
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
American Journal of Public Health: The Case for a National SNAP Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Program
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity: Evaluating the Impact of Financial Incentives on SNAP Transactions Shopping at Mobile Produce Markets In Rhode Island
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Health Promotion Practice: Title TBD qualitative paper with focus group results
*In Development*
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Progress 06/01/18 to 05/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period, Food on the Move held 307 markets at 13 host sites in the urban core of Rhode Island. The host sites included two public libraries, one community center, one food bank, one university, and eight public housing sites. Food on the Move specifically targets sites that serve low-income seniors. We have focused on this demographic because our previous research demonstrated that the FOTM model had an especially high impact on fruit and vegetable consumption among older adults. Furthermore, our sales data demonstrates that FOTM markets that serve low-income senior housing sites outperform other sites. These markets consistently have a high number of customers and transactions and a higher proportion of total SNAP sales than other markets. A recent cross-sectional survey of 325 market customers highlights our success in reaching low-income seniors. More than eight out of ten customers are 50 years or older. Most of our customers are low-income, with 85% reporting annual household incomes below $20,000. We serve a diverse customer base with 48% identifying as Hispanic/Latino, 39% as non-Hispanic White or Caucasian, and 6% as non-Hispanic Black or African American. English and Spanish are the most common languages spoken at the market. In addition, the majority of customers live alone (62%) and are either retired or disabled (69%). Food insecurity is a problem for many of our customers, with 43% of customers screened as experiencing food insecurity in the past year. Most customers (80%) currently received SNAP benefits and almost half reported using a food pantry in the past month. Many of our shoppers are impacted by chronic disease. The majority of customers are either prediabetic (37%) or diabetic (27%). The other most prevalent chronic conditions were hypertension (54%) and high cholesterol (47%) and nearly half reported having been told by a doctor that they are overweight or obese. Lastly, approximately one-third of customers said that their health makes it difficult for them to go to a grocery store. Food on the Move aims to increase the access and affordability of fruits and vegetables, and three-quarters of existing customers buy most of their produce from our markets.? Changes/Problems:While the transition of the SNAP incentive model to a 50% discount has proven successful with customers, it has also presented a challenge. Since implementing the change to the discount, SNAP sales have increased dramatically, and our redemption rate is 100%. This has impacted our budget. In the previous year, we distributed less than $3000 per month in incentives. We are now distributing over $9000 per month in incentives. Our current FINI budget cannot cover this level of growth. To keep service at our current level, we have needed to implement program changes and seek alternative funds. We are implementing a cap on incentives, and are not launching new, planned market locations. We have secured funding from Rhode Island Foundation, which will cover a portion of our funding gap for incentives. We have also submitted a GusNIP application for additional incentive funding and evaluation. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our staff participates in organizations such as the Mobile Market Community of Practice, the Mobile Market Network, and Wholesome Wave's National Nutrition Incentive Network, which align with our mission and vision, in an effort to engage in idea sharing, networking, resource building, and other activities to further strengthen our program. Staff have participated in a human resources and cultural diversity training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?RIPHI publicizes results to all of our community partners, including federal, state, and local policy makers. We also publicize program results in community forums such as meetings for public health researchers and practitioners, as well as directly with each market site coordinator. Sales and other impact data (including number of customers served, numbers of SNAP dollars spent, number of markets held) are regularly disseminated to individual site leaders, site coordinators, the Rhode Island Department of Health, and geographically-based public health coalitions in Rhode Island. In the academic sector, meetings with peers are taking place to discuss the data obtained in our exit surveys and collaborate in a publishable research paper. A literature review of nutrition incentives in the US is currently being conducted to further provide context on the significance of double incentive programs in the promotion of healthier dietary behaviors in communities. Food on the Move often receives coverage in the local media. During this project period, a community breakfast event was featured in the publication Convergence RI (http://newsletter.convergenceri.com/stories/shopping-for-fresh-fruits-and-vegetables-as-a-community-building-exercise,4352). The event, held at the Dexter Manor housing complex, celebrated Food on the Move's six years of partnership with the Providence Housing Authority. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we will expand the market to at least five new sites at subsidized senior housing facilities and conduct a longitudinal study of new market customers. In addition, we will implement a new loyalty card program at all market sites using the integrated POS technology. The loyalty card program will allow us to track individual-level purchases over time. This will allow us to measure changes in purchasing behavior associated with the market, including the SNAP incentive. Through the POS software, we are able to monitor frequency of visits, total purchases (including item level data), and tender type at both the individual and market level. The longitudinal survey will be conducted with new market customers and measure food security status, fruit and vegetable consumption, general health status, and cost-related medication nonadherence. The goal is to build the evidence-base for the efficacy of a SNAP incentive program in a mobile produce market setting on the health and well-being of low-income seniors. Demonstrating impacts on health outcomes will position FOTM not only as a unique program addressing social determinants of health, but also a program that measurably improves health and reduces healthcare costs.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Outcome 1: Implement a minimum of 25 'Food on the Move' markets per month for the duration of the project period. During this reporting period, we held an average of 25 markets per month at 13 host sites for a total of 307 markets. During this same time, we transitioned from monthly to weekly markets at most of our sites. As a result, we partner with fewer host sites, but have seen an increase in both number of transactions and total purchases at the sites that we visit weekly. As of May 31, 2019, five markets were held at low-income senior housing locations and two markets were held at community locations. The average number of transactions per market in May 2019 was 41, a 43% increase from June 2018. The average purchase amount per transaction in May 2019 was almost $20, a 28% increase from June 2018. Outcome 2: By June 2017, increase the redemption rate of 'Rhody Bucks' SNAP nutrition incentives from 80% to 100%. Through a FINI pilot project, we launched our 'Rhody Bucks' financial incentive program in September 2015. Our initial SNAP incentive structure included a dollar-for-dollar match in the form of gift cards distributed at the point of sale that could be redeemed at a future market. The program was highly successful. In the first 12 months of the program, we sold over $120,000 in produce and distributed over $35,000 in 'Rhody Bucks' gift cards. The redemption rate for program gift cards was 80%, which is comparable to other retail gift cards. During the first reporting period of our FINI grant, we fully implemented a new incentive structure, which offers an immediate 50% discount on all fruits and vegetables to shoppers using SNAP benefits. This represents the same level of dollar-for-dollar match, but delivers the incentive as a discount directly at the point-of-sale. This eliminates the gap in redemption and achieves an immediate 100% redemption rate for all eligible shoppers. We used the results of our pilot, which was completed during the last reporting period, to implement the discount at all markets. We retrofitted our point of sale system to enable its capability to apply a 50% discount and capture corresponding purchase data for reporting purposes. We also developed new signage and communication materials to inform customers of this change in the Rhody Bucks Incentive Program. During this reporting period, we observed a significant increase in the amount of incentives distributed per month. In May 2019, we distributed over $9,500 in incentives to SNAP customers, a 75% increase from June 2018. This was driven by an increase in the number of SNAP transaction per month and average amount of incentive received per SNAP transaction. In May 2019, we had 827 transactions using SNAP at the market, a 62% increase from June 2018. In addition, the average amount of incentive received per transaction was $11.56, an 8% increase from June 2018. This means that the average SNAP customer purchased approximately $23 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables per visit to the Food on the Move market. In focus groups with SNAP customers, the majority reported extremely positive feedback on this program change and described purchasing more fruits and vegetables during the month because of the change in incentive structure. Outcome 3: By June 2017, increase the number of SNAP participants who purchase fruits and vegetables after the 15th day of the month by 40%. We conducted surveys in summer of 2018 to evaluate the impact of the market on SNAP customers. Overall, 80% of our customers currently receive SNAP benefits. Among our SNAP customers, 88% received SNAP benefits for all of the past 12 months and the average SNAP benefit amount received was $164. For the majority of SNAP customers (67.5%), SNAP benefits do not last the entire month and almost half (46.6%) used a food pantry in the past month. The survey also highlights the positive impact of the market on SNAP customers. For example, approximately three-fourths agree that their SNAP benefits last longer since shopping at Food on the Move. In addition, over 80% agree they buy and eat more fruits and vegetables because of the SNAP discount. Among SNAP customers, 81% buy more than half of their produce from Food on the Move. To investigate the outcome, we compared the average number of transactions per month between markets held in the first 2 weeks of the month to markets held during the last 2 weeks of the month between January to May 2019. All RI SNAP benefits are issued on the first of the month, so markets are generally busier during the first few weeks before benefits are exhausted. For markets held during the first two weeks of the month, the average number of transactions per market is 29. For markets held during the last weeks of the month, the average number of transactions per market is 22, a 31% decrease. Interestingly, the average purchase with SNAP does not differ between the first and last half of the month, averaging approximately $24. This means that the average SNAP recipient receives $12 worth of incentives per transaction. Overall, there is a general positive trendline among all of the markets for total sales and number of transactions per market. We originally planned to test an expanded version of the incentive by offering the discount on other forms of payment when SNAP benefits are exhausted. However, new guidance in the GusNIP program prohibits applying the incentive to purchases made with forms of tender besides SNAP EBT. For this reason, we have opted not to pursue this program change, as it would need to be discontinued in the future if we were to receive GusNIP funds. Outcome 4: By March 2020, evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of changes to 'Rhody Bucks' incentive structure. RIPHI's evaluation capacity is a strength demonstrated by our data collection and evaluation system and the experience of our key personnel. Evaluation and data drive RIPHI's programs. Food on the Move's FINI pilot award allowed us to invest in a digital point-of-sale system that stores inventory data and captures transaction-level data with every market. We digitally track many indicators in real time, including: sales, items purchased, average purchase per transaction, total number of SNAP dollars redeemed, SNAP dollars as a fraction of overall sales, and dollars spent in additional SNAP-doubling bonuses. More recently, we purchased a new point-of-sale software, EPOSNow, which will improve efficiency with checkout at the markets and allow us to implement a new loyalty card program (described in upcoming goals). This new system will further enhance our evaluation capacity and improve our reporting capabilities. During the reporting period, we conducted a rigorous evaluation of Food on the Move's incentive program, including a cross-sectional survey with market customers, focus groups with SNAP customers, and secondary analysis of sales data. Many of the results from these evaluations have been reported in previous sections. Currently, we are developing multiple manuscripts for publication in the peer-reviewed literature and have three abstracts accepted to present at professional conferences this fall.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lyerly R, Cohen ED, Lawson E, Green A, Kent-Daggett C, Evans W, Amin S, Nunn A. Estimating the 10-Year Costs of Expanding SNAP Incentives to Grocery Retail Settings in Rhode Island. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Nov. 3-6, 2019, Philadelphia, PA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lyerly R, Cohen ED, Lawson E, Orona KC, Hallett E, Evans W, Amin S, Nunn A. Impacts of the Food on the Move Statewide Mobile Produce Market on Purchase and Consumption of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Nov. 3-6, 2019, Philadelphia, PA.
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Progress 06/01/17 to 05/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Food on the Move markets reach residents in eight Rhode Island cities. We serve 22 sites including public housing, schools, community health centers, libraries, and other community locations. During the reporting period June 1-September 30 2017, we reached 3250 transactions at 113 markets. The overwhelming majority markets are located in food deserts and neighborhoods with high rates of food insecurity. According to our evaluation data, 35% of market customers identify as Hispanic or Latino, 14% identify as African American, and 6% identify as American Indian. Ten percent of our shoppers are African immigrants. Approximately 80% of our shoppers are low-income women who live in food deserts who are shopping for their families. Many of our market sites are located in areas designated as "Health Equity Zones" by the Rhode Island Department of Health - communities with inequities in health outcomes. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Food on the Move staff have expanded their skills and responsibilities as Food on the Move has grown. Staff have received training in inventory management and ordering, digital point-of-sale and data reporting practices, and safety. Staff have also expanded opportunities to connect with local growers by working at one suppliers' farm, helping to coordinate orders for new, locally-grown and culturally-relevant produce items from ten farms across the state, and visiting nearby farmer's markets to develop relationships with other fresh produce retailers. Our staff participates in organizations such as the Mobile Market Community of Practice, the Mobile Market Network, and Wholesome Wave's National Nutrition Incentive Network, which align with our mission and vision, in an effort to engage in idea sharing, networking, resource building, and other activities to further strengthen our program. During this period, our staff also began participation in a "Health and Wellness Accelerator" program offered by Rhode Island's Social Enterprise Greenhouse. This 12-week course gathers local health-related enterprises in the state to participate in online modules, in-person workshops, and one-on-one coaching. This accelerator is designed to provide business acumen training to early to mid-stage do well, do good health businesses. Four key personnel participated in these trainings on topics ranging from financial management, personnel management, population health data collection, and marketing and outreach. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?RIPHI publicizes results to all of our community partners, including federal, state, and local policy makers. We also publicize program results in community forums such as meetings for public health researchers and practitioners, as well as directly with each market site coordinator. Sales and other impact data (including number of customers served, numbers of SNAP dollars spent, number of markets held) are regularly disseminated to individual site leaders, site coordinators, the Rhode Island Department of Health, and geographically-based public health coalitions in Rhode Island. In the academic sector, meetings with peers are taking place to discuss the data obtained in our exit surveys and collaborate in a publishable research paper. A literature review of nutrition incentives in the US is currently being conducted to further provide context on the significance of double incentive programs in the promotion of healthier dietary behaviors in communities. RIPHI has held a wide range of outreach activities to promote the program and reach residents across the state. We hosted a launch event at a Providence Housing Authority market site in June of 2017. RI's Director of Food Strategy and program officers at the AARP Foundation both spoke at this event in support of the program and testified to the important role Food on the Move plays in addressing food insecurity in Rhode Island. We also communicate and publicize results to the general public through the popular media, including radio, television, and local newspapers. Food on the Move has increased our outreach strategies to effectively reach members of the community and inform residents about the program. In July of 2017, Food on the Move received front-page press coverage in the largest state newspaper, the Providence Journal. A digital copy of the article can be found at this link: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170716/snap-shoppers-get-big-incentive-for-buying-fresh-produce. Food on the Move has consistently received press coverage for local events, including a recent article in Acontecer Latino, the main Spanish-language newspaper in the state. This coverage can be found here: http://acontecerlatino.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6405:food-on-the-move-un-mercado-itinerante-en-el-vecindario&catid=101:entrevistas-a-latinos&Itemid=493 RIPHI was a key stakehodler in a statewide planning process to develop the first Rhode Island Food Strategy, a five-year guide focusing on the food sector, including agriculture and aquaculture, health and access, and economic development. Food on the Move worked with the Food Policy Council and the Governor's office to host a community outreach meeting to solicit public comment to inform the plan. Coverage of this event can be found here: http://ripr.org/post/ri-food-plan-tackles-food-insecurity-seeks-public-input. Nutrition incentives for SNAP shoppers, including those offered by Food on the Move, represented a primary strategy in the plan to reduce food insecurity and increase health for low-income Rhode Islanders. The full strategic plan can be found here: http://dem.ri.gov/relishrhody/pdf/rifood17.pdf. The RI Food Strategy has prompted a small group of partners to work together to better coordinate nutrition incentive programs in Rhode Island. This group includes the office of the Governor, the RI Department of Health, and Farm Fresh Rhode Island, among others. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals??During the next reporting period, we plan to further expand our 50% discount format to more markets. We have received positive initial feedback from community members and stakeholders, and will continue to expand this pilot throughout the coming months. During the next reporting period we also plan to complete data collection on our qualitative interviews investigating participants' experience with the program. This evaluation will inform program design as well as future advocacy efforts relating to increased food access for Rhode Island Communities. Describe major changes/problems in approach and reason(s) for these major changes. If applicable, provide special and/or additional reporting requirements specified in the award Terms and Conditions. Delayed award notice caused us to delay the implementation of our 50% discount format transition pilot. We plan to fully expand this pilot to all program sites in January 2018.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project Goal: Improve food security among SNAP participants. The primary goal of the FINI grants program is to fund and evaluate projects intended to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by low-income consumers participating in SNAP by providing incentives at the point of purchase. We propose further innovative improvements to our successful 'Rhody Bucks' nutrition incentive program that will increase fruit and vegetable sales among SNAP participants. Evaluation of these changes will contribute to the evidence base and will create a replicable model for others to follow. Outcome 1: Implement a minimum of 25 'Food on the Move' markets per month for the duration of the project period. 'Food on the Move,' informed by a decade of research, has grown to serve 20 low-income, food insecure neighborhoods, reaching approximately 1000 people per month. 'Food on the Move' has become one of the largest mobile markets in the country. The successful 'Rhody Bucks' dollar-for-dollar SNAP nutrition incentive is available at all markets. During this reporting period, we held an average of 28 markets per month in high-need communities. Outcome 2: By June 2017, increase the redemption rate of 'Rhody Bucks' SNAP nutrition incentives from 80% to 100%. Through a FINI pilot project, we launched our 'Rhody Bucks' financial incentive program in September 2015. Our initial SNAP incentive structure included a dollar-for-dollar match in the form of gift cards distributed at the point of sale that could be redeemed at a future market. The program was highly successful. In the first 12 months of the program, we sold over $120,000 in produce and distributed over $35,000 in 'Rhody Bucks' gift cards. The redemption rate for program gift cards was 80%, which is comparable to other retail gift cards. During this reporting period, we began piloting a new incentive system, which offers an immediate 50% discount on all fruits and vegetables to shoppers using SNAP benefits. This represents the same level of dollar-for-dollar match, but formats the inventive as a discount. This eliminates the gap in redemption and achieves an immediate 100% redemption rate for all eligible shoppers. To pilot this new model, we retrofitted our point of sale system to enable its capability to apply a 50% discount and capture corresponding purchase data for reporting purposes. We also developed new signage and communication materials to inform customers of this change in the Rhody Bucks Incentive Program. This format change was piloted at six community sites. During this reporting period, shoppers at pilot sites receiving a 50% discount to double their SNAP benefits purchased an average of $19.30 per purchase; this is slightly higher than the $18.95 average purchase for SNAP transactions at all sites. Participants reported extremely positive feedback on this program change. We plan to expand this pilot to more sites in the upcoming reporting period. Outcome 3: By June 2017, increase the number of SNAP participants who purchase fruits and vegetables after the 15th day of the month by 40%. We conducted baseline surveys in fall of 2015; those data demonstrated that 75% of our SNAP shoppers expend the majority of their SNAP benefits in the first two weeks of the month. Our surveys also demonstrate that these customers consume fewer fruits and vegetables as a result of this challenge. We ultimately plan to incentivize the purchase of fruits and vegetables among SNAP-enrolled shoppers, even if their EBT funds are exhausted. However, we plan to maintain our new 50% discount pilot which only doubles EBT funds spent at our market in order to collect data and demonstrate impact of the format transition itself. We believe that the 50% discount format is the most viable design for a statewide incentive program, and therefore plan to spend at least one year demonstrating the efficacy of this model to gather the evidence base to expand nutrition incentives to retail settings across Rhode Island. However, due to transitioning our incentive model, we did see demonstrated impact on SNAP participants' purchase of fruits and vegetables after the 15th day of the month. In 2017 we saw an average purchase amount of $10.37 across all markets, representing a 17% increase compared to the same period in the year prior. We will continue to evaluate transaction data throughout the changes in our incentive system in order to document fruit and vegetable purchase amounts for SNAP participants after the 15th day of the month. Outcome 4: By March 2020, evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of changes to 'Rhody Bucks' incentive structure. RIPHI's evaluation capacity is a strength demonstrated by our data collection and evaluation system and the experience of our key personnel. Evaluation and data drive RIPHI's programs. 'Food on the Move's' FINI pilot award allowed us to invest in a digital point-of-sale system that stores inventory data and captures transaction-level data with every market. We digitally track many indicators in real time, including: sales, items purchased, average purchase per customer, total number of SNAP dollars redeemed, SNAP dollars as a fraction of overall sales, and dollars spent in additional SNAP-doubling bonuses. During this period, we purchased a new EBT card reader machine that allows us to award 50% discounts to purchases using EBT cards, enabling us to implement the new incentive structure. This card reader also captures card data without storing any personal shopper data, allowing us to evaluate repeat use of the program by individual SNAP participants. During this period, we also developed the tools that will serve us in our survey of market shoppers. This evaluation will ask market shoppers about their health behaviors and their experience at the market. We worked with researchers at Brown University, University of Connecticut, the University of Rhode Island, and our own evaluation personnel to develop a comprehensive survey tool. During this period, the survey tool was approved by the Brown University Institutional Review Board, allowing us to finalize staffing needs to implement this large-scale health outcomes evaluation. This evaluation will collect data about customer feedback about the Rhody Bucks incentive program, and data on the program's impact on health outcomes for shoppers at Food on the Move. We also began surveys for a qualitative, interview-based analysis of market impact for shoppers. This survey tool was also approved by the Brown University Institutional Review Board. This survey asks shoppers more detailed questions about their experience with the program, including their experience with the Rhody Bucks nutrition incentive. This survey data collection will be completed during the next reporting period. We will use our evaluation results to build the evidence for similar incentive structures. We will complete a self-assessment and work with the independent evaluator to provide data for comparative analysis.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
SNAP Shoppers Get Big Incentive For Buying Fresh Produce Providence Journal. Lynn Arditi. July 16 2017. http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170716/snap-shoppers-get-big-incentive-for-buying-fresh-produce.
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