Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project are Washingtonians who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During state fiscal year 2023, an average of 924,162people accessed SNAP, called "Basic Food", each month in Washington (11.6% of Washington's total population). Twenty-two percent of Basic Food participants identified as Latino, 9.5% identified as Black, 8% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 3% identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 50% identified as white. Thirty-fourpercent of participants are children under the age of 18. During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2024), the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) worked with farm direct brick and mortar firms to provide nutrition incentives to SNAP participants. The target audiences reached during the project are summarized by firm type. Farm Direct: By the end of the project period, one hundred twenty-one (123) farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets in twenty-nine (31) counties offered SNAP Market Match to SNAP participants; this represents an additional twenty(20) farm direct firms (30% increase) offering SNAP Market Match compared to 2020, when the grant project started. SNAP Market Match is available in densely populated metropolitan areas (e.g., Seattle), as well as rural cities and counties in central, eastern, and southwest WA. Participating farm direct firms served 20,488 unique SNAP participants and 8,912 (44%) repeat SNAP participants during the most recent calendar year (2023). Brick and Mortar: By the end of the project period, two hundred nine (229) firms in thirty-two (32) counties offered SNAP Produce Match to SNAP participants; this represents an additional 52 firms (30% increase) in the number of grocery firms offering SNAP Produce Match compared to 2020, when the grant project started. During the project period, SNAP Produce Match was available in all Safeway/Albertsonsstores in Washington, all15 Haggen locations, 3 Fiesta Foods (a Latinegrocer in Yakima and Franklin Counties), Sophiya Mini Market and Halal (serving the Somali population in South King County), The Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand in Jefferson County (a rural county on the Olympic Peninsula), 2 Community Food Co-ops in Whatcom County, Skagit Valley Food Coop (Skagit County), A&J Market (Stevenson County, a rural county in the Columbia River Gorge), Kitsap Community Food Co-op (Kitsap County), Orcas Food Co-op (onisolatedOrcas Island in Puget Sound), San Juan Island Food Co-op (on isolated San Juan Island in Puget Sound), and Sno-Isle Food Co-op (Snohomish County). SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway and Amazon Fresh, making the program more accessible to those who have mobility concerns, transportation issues, or feel unsafe going to a brick-and-mortar store. Changes/Problems:Throughout the project period, onboarding more grocery store partners was a significant challenge. Of the 52 brick and mortar firms, DOH identified for participation in GusNIP in 2020, only 6 were able to offer SNAP Produce Match. Forty of the 52 stores use athird-party provider that is unable to configure the point-of-sale systems due to staffing limitations and despite firm and DOH requests. To make up for these limitations, DOH identified other brick and mortar locations which were able to offer SNAP Produce Match through their point-of-sale systems. Many of these locations werefood cooperatives that source local produce, and their addition to the program enhances our project goals. Another unanticipated outcome was working with online SNAP retailers (Safeway and Amazon Fresh) to offer SNAP Produce Match, which increases availability of the program to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Although the number of brick and mortar firms is limited, DOH is adding more farm direct firms to continue nutrition incentive expansion. Additionally, with the expansion of SNAP Produce Match to online in early 2022 through Safeway and with Amazon Fresh in late 2022, access to nutrition incentives is becoming more available to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Having Amazon Fresh offer SNAP Produce Match to their online SNAP shoppers may significantly increase the dollar amount of incentives redeemed. Throughout the project period, DOH made changes to the nutrition incentive amounts. For example, the SNAP Market Match daily customer cap changed from $40/day in 2022 to $25/day in 2023 to ensure program funds would not run out. In the brick and mortar setting, DOH quickly changed incentive amount from $5/transaction to $10/transaction from April 2023 - August 2024because more state funds became available to the program. The ebb and flow of funding makes communicating these changes in incentive amounts difficult to SNAP participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?DOH used a variety of communication tools and tactics to disseminate results to communities of interest. The DOH webpage (www.doh.wa.gov/FVIP) provides information about the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program and GusNIP grant to stakeholders, decisionmakers, and the general public. Fact sheets, data briefs, and the Community Advisory Network reports are available through the DOH webpage. Three e-newsletters were disseminated, which include links to data reports and fact sheets. DOH staff presented at two state conferences about FVIP. Information about FVIP was also provided through Washington's Food Policy Forum, which includes state-level policymakers. DOH informed Washington's Congressional staff about the impact of the GusNIP grant through multiple meetings and presentations, including meeting with Congresswoman Schrier's staff in August 2022, meeting with Congresswoman Del Bene's staff in November 2022, and proving a Washington Congressional Delegation briefing on GusNIP and DOH's Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program in January 2023. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2024), $9,522,218 in nutrition incentives were redeemed by SNAP participants at 354farm direct and brick and mortar firms. Seventy-one percent (71%) of the total federal and non-federal funds for this project ($13,324,398) were used for nutrition incentives.Note: due to the no-cost extenstion on the 2020 award, DOH had 2 concurrent awards operating at the same time. Totals for this report include 2020 award funds and non-federal match associated with the 2020 award and do not include any funds billed to the 2023 award and associated non-federal match during the same time period. Farm Direct: When customers spend their SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets, they receive extra money called SNAP Market Match to buy fruits and vegetables. Brick and Mortar: When customers spend $10 of their SNAP benefits on qualifying fruits and vegetables at participating large-chain supermarkets (in-store and online), independent grocery stores, and food cooperatives, they receive a coupon for fruits and vegetables off their next purchase or an automatic discount. Goal #1: Farm Direct: During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2024), SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $3,890,469 at farm direct locations. The amount of nutrition incentives redeemed by SNAP participants through farm direct locations increased by 19% from the first year of the project to the last year of the project ($1,150,832 redeemed in year 1 compared to $1,372,369 redeemed in year 3). During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), 41 farm direct firms were added to the project, making SNAP Market Match available to SNAP participants who shopped at 121 farm direct firms in 29 counties. Firms processed 151,534 SNAP transactions valued at $4,537,625. The incentive redemption rate was 91%. Brick and Mortar: During the project period, SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $5,631,749 at brick and mortar locations. The amount of nutrition incentives redeemed by SNAP participants through brick and mortar locations increased by 368% from first year of the project to the last year of the project ($733,880 redeemed in year 1 compared to $3,440,310 in year 3). The substantial increase in redemption was due to changing the incentive amount in years 2 and 3 - from buy $10 of qualifying fruits and vegetables to get a $5 coupon or discount to buy $10 of qualifying fruits and vegetables to get a $10 coupon or discount. Additionally, during the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2024), 32 brick and mortar firms were added to the project, making SNAP Produce Match available to SNAP participants who shopped at 231grocery stores across 33counties. SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway and Amazon Fresh in 2022. The incentive redemption rate in brick and mortar locations was 19% over the project period. Brick and mortar nutrition incentives expired 30 days from issuance, which likely led to a smaller redemption rate compared to farm direct firms in which nutrition incentives expire at the end of each calendar year. Goal #2: Farm Direct: During the project period, farm direct firms used Formstack Go, a data collection mobile app, or Excel spreadsheets to track SNAP Market Match distribution and redemption. The majority (81 of 121) of firms collected information through the mobile app; 40 opted for tracking through Excel spreadsheets at some point during the reporting period due to mobile/Wi-Fi connectivity issues. DOH conducted data collection trainings for participating farm direct firm staff annually through the project period, provided a Data Collection Toolkit to firms, and provided additional technical assistance as needed. Brick and Mortar: Safeway, Albertsons, Haggen, Fiesta Foods, and A&J Market offered nutrition incentives to SNAP participants via a coupon on the bottom of the customer receipt. Other independent grocery stores/food cooperatives offered a discount at the point of sale. Both incentive redemption models havebenefits and drawbacks for SNAP participants and participating firms. The automation of the coupon method enabled all SNAP participants to receive an incentive for later use; however, during the project period the redemption rate for coupons was 25%, indicating many incentives earned are not used by SNAP participants. The discount method used by other independent stores/food cooperatives is effective for ensuring incentives are redeemed (they are earned and redeemed in the same transaction); however, SNAP participants need to tell the cashier prior to making their purchase that they plan to use SNAP benefits otherwise the incentive would not be applied. Safeway and Amazon Fresh began offering SNAP Produce Match to online SNAP customers in January 2022 and November 2022, respectively. Online SNAP Produce Match incentives were redeemed at a higher rate than in-store incentive coupons. During the project period, the online SNAP Produce Match redemption rate for Amazon Fresh and Safeway was 71% and 47%, respectively. Incentives redeemed online made up 6% of overall SNAP Produce Match redemptions during the reporting period. Goal #3:DOH and partners conducted multiple outreach and marketing strategies. DOH provided 331,550 free printed outreach materials to community organizations and SNAP participants in 21 languages throughwww.doh.wa.gov/SNAPMatchPrograms; leveraged SNAP-Ed funds for radio, online, and print advertisements in English and Spanish & priority counties that have high rates of SNAP use, resulting in nearly 1.2 million impressions; sent annual direct mailers to a total of 471,680 SNAP households in priority communities; and used press releases and Medium Blog posts to boost awareness of SNAP Match program partners. Goal #4: DOH's network of community partners was critical for SNAP Match success. DOH convened the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program Advisory Network annually throughout the project period to share information about program expansion and sustainability. DOH developed a contract with Northwest Harvest to coordinate and convene the Community Advisory Network (CAN) and to document input from individuals to improve access to FVIP and contribute to program planning and future development. The CAN met monthly throughout the project period and provided input on paid media messaging, This reporting period, four more individuals were recruited to the CAN, for a total of 12 members. CAN members met 21 times during the reporting period and provided input on paid media messaging, program expansion, and messaging about program changes to SNAP participants. FVIP staff also partnered with DOH SNAP-Ed staff to develop a SNAP-Ed/FVIP Community of Practice (CoP). community of practice. The purpose of the CoP was to provide a community platform for information sharing, learning, and developing collaborative approaches between FVIP staff and SNAP-Ed state implementing agencies and local implementing agencies. The CoP met monthly from March 2022 - August 2024and consisted of about 20 members.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Auvinen, A., Antos, J., Franzen, V., Davis, D. Washington's Pilot Projects: SNAP EBT Integration at Farmers Markets. Presentation at Washington State Farmers Market Association 2024 Annual Conference; 2024 February 24.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Lubowicki, L., Rains, K., Montgomery, M., Eslinger, A. Learning Lab: Addressing Food Insecurity in Washington State. Presentation at the Foundation for Health Care Quality's Bree Collaborative monthly conference; 2024 June 25.
|
Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project are Washingtonians who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During state fiscal year 2022, an average of 873,078 people accessed SNAP, called "Basic Food", each month in Washington (11% of Washington's total population). Twenty-one percent of Basic Food participants identified as Latino, 10% identified as Black, 8% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 51% identified as white. Thirty-five percent of participants are children under the age of 18. During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) worked with farm direct brick and mortar firms to provide nutrition incentives to SNAP participants. The target audiences reached during the project are summarized by firm type. Farm Direct: By the end of the project period, one hundred twenty-one (121) farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets in twenty-nine (29) counties offered SNAP Market Match to SNAP participants; this represents an additional eighteen (18) farm direct firms (30% increase) in the number of farm direct firms offering SNAP Market Match compared to 2020, when the grant project started. SNAP Market Match is available in densely populated metropolitan areas (e.g., Seattle), as well as rural cities and counties in central, eastern, and southwest WA. Participating farm direct firms served 20,488 unique SNAP participants and 8,912 (44%) repeat SNAP participants during the most recent calendar year (2022). Brick and Mortar: By the end of the project period, two hundred nine (209) firms in thirty (30) counties offered SNAP Produce Match to SNAP participants; this represents an additional 32 firms (18% increase) in the number of grocery firms offering SNAP Produce Match compared to 2020, when the grant project started. During the project period, SNAP Produce Match was available in all Safeway/Albertsons stores in Washington, 3 Fiesta Foods (a Hispanic-serving grocer Yakima and Franklin Counties), Sophiya Mini Market and Halal (serving the Somali population in South King County), The Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand in Jefferson County (a rural county on the Olympic Peninsula), 2 Community Food Co-ops in Whatcom County, and Skagit Valley Food Coop (Skagit County). SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway and Amazon Fresh, making the program more accessible to those who have mobility concerns, transportation issues, or feel unsafe going to a brick-and-mortar store. Changes/Problems:Throughout the project period, onboarding more grocery store partners was a significant challenge. Onboarding more grocery store partners continues to be a significant challenge. Of the 52 brick and mortar firms, DOH identified for participation in GusNIP in 2020, only 6 were able to offer SNAP Produce Match. Forty of the 52 stores used a third-party provider to configure point-of-sale systems, and that third-party provider is unable to configure the point-of-sale systems due to staffing limitations and despite firm and DOH requests. To make up for these limitations, DOH identified other brick and mortar locations - like the Skagit Valley Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand - which were able to offer SNAP Produce Match through their point-of-sale systems. These food cooperatives source local produce, and their addition to the program enhance our project goals. Another unanticipated outcome was working with online SNAP retailers (Safeway and Amazon Fresh) to offer SNAP Produce Match, which increases availability of the program to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Although the number of brick and mortar firms is limited, DOH is adding more farm direct firms to continue nutrition incentive expansion. Additionally, with the expansion of SNAP Produce Match to online in early 2022 through Safeway and with Amazon Fresh in late 2022, access to nutrition incentives is becoming more available to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Having Amazon Fresh offer SNAP Produce Match to their online SNAP shoppers may significantly increase the dollar amount of incentives redeemed. Throughout the project period, DOH made changes to the nutrition incentive amounts. For example, the SNAP Market Match daily customer cap changed from $40/day in 2022 to $25/day in 2023 to ensure program funds would not run out. In the brick and mortar setting, DOH quickly changed incentive amount from $5/transaction to $10/transaction from April 2023 - August 2023 because more state funds became available to the program. The ebb and flow of funding makes communicating these changes in incentive amounts difficult to SNAP participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?DOH used a variety of communication tools and tactics to disseminate results to communities of interest. The DOH webpage (www.doh.wa.gov/FVIP) provides information about the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program and GusNIP grant to stakeholders, decisionmakers, and the general public. Fact sheets, data briefs, and the Community Advisory Network reports are available through the DOH webpage. Three e-newsletters were disseminated, which include links to data reports and fact sheets. DOH staff presented at two state conferences about FVIP. Information about FVIP was also provided through Washington's Food Policy Forum, which includes state-level policymakers. DOH informed Washington's Congressional staff about the impact of the GusNIP grant through multiple meetings and presentations, including meeting with Congresswoman Schrier's staff in August 2022, meeting with Congresswoman Del Bene's staff in November 2022, and proving a Washington Congressional Delegation briefing on GusNIP and DOH's Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program in January 2023. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), $9,232,218 in nutrition incentives were redeemed by SNAP participants at 330 farm direct and brick and mortar firms. Seventy-one percent (71%) of the total federal and non-federal funds for this project ($12,994,398) were used for nutrition incentives. Farm Direct: When customers spend their SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets, they receive extra money called SNAP Market Match to buy fruits and vegetables. Brick and Mortar: When customers spend $10 of their SNAP benefits on qualifying fruits and vegetables at participating large-chain supermarkets (in-store and online), independent grocery stores, and food cooperatives, they receive a coupon for fruits and vegetables off their next purchase or an automatic discount. Goal #1: Farm Direct: During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $3,890,469 at farm direct locations. The amount of nutrition incentives redeemed by SNAP participants through farm direct locations increased by 19% from the first year of the project to the last year of the project ($1,150,832 redeemed in year 1 compared to $1,372,369 redeemed in year 3). During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), 41 farm direct firms were added to the project, making SNAP Market Match available to SNAP participants who shopped at 121 farm direct firms in 29 counties. Firms processed 151,534 SNAP transactions valued at $4,537,625. The incentive redemption rate was 91%. Brick and Mortar: During the project period, SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $5,341,749 at brick and mortar locations. The amount of nutrition incentives redeemed by SNAP participants through brick and mortar locations increased by 368% from first year of the project to the last year of the project ($733,880 redeemed in year 1 compared to $3,440,310 in year 3). The substantial increase in redemption was due to changing the incentive amount in years 2 and 3 - from buy $10 of qualifying fruits and vegetables to get a $5 coupon or discount to buy $10 of qualifying fruits and vegetables to get a $10 coupon or discount. Additionally, during the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), 32 brick and mortar firms were added to the project, making SNAP Produce Match available to SNAP participants who shopped at 209 grocery stores across 30 counties. Locations included: all Safeway/Albertsons stores in Washington, 3 Fiesta Foods (a Hispanic-serving grocer Yakima and Franklin Counties), Sophiya Mini Market and Halal (serving the Somali population in South King County), The Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand in Jefferson County (a rural county on the Olympic Peninsula), 2 Community Food Co-ops in Whatcom County, and Skagit Valley Food Coop (Skagit County). SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway and Amazon Fresh in 2022. The incentive redemption rate in brick and mortar locations was 19% over the project period. Brick and mortar nutrition incentives expired 30 days from issuance, which likely led to a smaller redemption rate compared to farm direct firms in which nutrition incentives expire at the end of each calendar year. Goal #2: Farm Direct: During the project period, farm direct firms used Formstack Go, a data collection mobile app, or Excel spreadsheets to track SNAP Market Match distribution and redemption. The majority (81 of 121) of firms collected information through the mobile app; 40 opted for tracking through Excel spreadsheets at some point during the reporting period due to mobile/Wi-Fi connectivity issues. DOH conducted data collection trainings for participating farm direct firm staff annually through the project period, provided a Data Collection Toolkit to firms, and provided additional technical assistance as needed. Brick and Mortar: Safeway and Fiesta Foods offered nutrition incentives to SNAP participants via a coupon on the bottom of the customer receipt. Other independent grocery stores/food cooperatives offered a discount at the point of sale. Both incentive redemption models had benefits and drawbacks for SNAP participants and participating firms. The automation of the coupon method enabled all SNAP participants to receive an incentive for later use; however, during the project period the redemption rate for coupons was less than 20%, indicating many incentives that are earned are not used by SNAP participants. The discount method used by other independent stores/food cooperatives is effective for ensuring incentives are redeemed (they are earned and redeemed in the same transaction); however, SNAP participants need to tell the cashier prior to making their purchase that they plan to use SNAP benefits otherwise the incentive would not be applied. Safeway and Amazon Fresh began offering SNAP Produce Match to online SNAP customers in January 2022 and November 2022, respectively. Online SNAP Produce Match incentives were redeemed at a higher rate than in-store incentive coupons. During the project period, the online SNAP Produce Match redemption rate for Amazon Fresh and Safeway was 71% and 47%, respectively. Incentives redeemed online made up 6% of overall SNAP Produce Match redemptions during the reporting period. Goal #3:DOH and partners conducted multiple outreach and marketing strategies. DOH provided 331,550 free printed outreach materials to community organizations and SNAP participants in 21 languages throughwww.doh.wa.gov/SNAPMatchPrograms; leveraged SNAP-Ed funds for radio, online, and print advertisements in English and Spanish & priority counties that have high rates of SNAP use, resulting in nearly 1.2 million impressions; sent annual direct mailers to a total of 471,680 SNAP households in priority communities; and used press releases and Medium Blog posts to boost awareness of SNAP Match program partners. Goal #4: DOH's network of community partners was critical for SNAP Match success. DOH convened the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program Advisory Network annually throughout the project period to share information about program expansion and sustainability. DOH developed a contract with Northwest Harvest to coordinate and convene the Community Advisory Network (CAN) and to document input from individuals to improve access to FVIP and contribute to program planning and future development. The CAN met monthly throughout the project period and provided input on paid media messaging, This reporting period, four more individuals were recruited to the CAN, for a total of 12 members. CAN members met 11 times during the reporting period and provided input on paid media messaging, program expansion, and messaging about program changes to SNAP participants. FVIP staff also partnered with DOH SNAP-Ed staff to develop a SNAP-Ed/FVIP Community of Practice (CoP). community of practice. The purpose of the CoP was to provide a community platform for information sharing, learning, and developing collaborative approaches between FVIP staff and SNAP-Ed state implementing agencies and local implementing agencies. The CoP met monthly from March 2022 - August 2023 and consisted of about 20 members.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Canepa, A., Comeau R., Auvinen A. The 50 State Strategy: Increasing Investment in Nutrition Incentives at the State Level. Presentation at Nutrition Incentive Hub 2023 National Convening; 2023 June 7.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Auvinen A., Marquez-Nieblas G., Connolly K. What do California, Rhode Island, and Washington have in common? EBT Integration. Presentation at Nutrition Incentive Hub 2023 National Convening; 2023 June 7.
|
Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project are Washingtonians who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During state fiscal year 2022, an average of 873,078 people accessed SNAP, called "Basic Food", each month in Washington (11% of Washington's total population). Twenty-one percent of Basic Food participants identified as Latino, 10% identified as Black, 8% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 51% identified as white. Thirty-five percent of participants are children under the age of 18. During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) workedwith farm direct brick and mortar firms to provide nutrition incentives to SNAP participants. The target audiences reached during the project are summarized by firm type. Farm Direct: By the end of the project period, one hundred twenty-one (121) farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets in twenty-nine (29) counties offered SNAP Market Match to SNAP participants; this represents an additional eighteen (18) farm direct firms (30% increase) in the number of farm direct firms offering SNAP Market Match compared to 2020, when the grant project started. SNAP Market Match is available in densely populated metropolitan areas (e.g., Seattle), as well as rural cities and counties in central, eastern, and southwest WA. Participating farm direct firms served 20,488 unique SNAP participants and 8,912 (44%) repeat SNAP participants during the most recent calendar year (2022). Brick and Mortar: By the end of the project period, two hundred nine (209) firms in thirty (30) counties offered SNAP Produce Match to SNAP participants; this represents an additional 32 firms (18% increase) in the number of grocery firms offering SNAP Produce Match compared to 2020, when the grant project started. During the project period, SNAP Produce Match was available in all Safeway/Albertsons stores in Washington, 3 Fiesta Foods (a Hispanic-serving grocer Yakima and Franklin Counties), Sophiya Mini Market and Halal (serving the Somali population in South King County), The Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand in Jefferson County (a rural county on the Olympic Peninsula), 2 Community Food Co-ops in Whatcom County, and Skagit Valley Food Coop (Skagit County). SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway and Amazon Fresh, making the program more accessible to those who have mobility concerns, transportation issues, or feel unsafe going to a brick-and-mortar store. Changes/Problems:Throughout the project period, onboarding more grocery store partners was a significant challenge. Onboarding more grocery store partners continues to be a significant challenge. Of the 52 brick and mortar firms, DOH identified for participation in GusNIP in 2020, only 6 were able to offer SNAP Produce Match. Forty of the 52 stores used a third-party provider to configure point-of-sale systems, and that third-party provider is unable to configure the point-of-sale systems due to staffing limitations and despite firm and DOH requests. To make up for these limitations, DOH identified other brick and mortar locations - like the Skagit Valley Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand - which were able to offer SNAP Produce Match through their point-of-sale systems. These food cooperatives source local produce, and their addition to the program enhance our project goals. Another unanticipated outcome was working with online SNAP retailers (Safeway and Amazon Fresh) to offer SNAP Produce Match, which increases availability of the program to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Although the number of brick and mortar firms is limited, DOH is adding more farm direct firms to continue nutrition incentive expansion. Additionally, with the expansion of SNAP Produce Match to online in early 2022 through Safeway and with Amazon Fresh in late 2022, access to nutrition incentives is becoming more available to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Having Amazon Fresh offer SNAP ProduceMatch to their online SNAP shoppers may significantly increase the dollar amount of incentives redeemed. Throughout the project period, DOH made changes to the nutrition incentive amounts. For example, the SNAP Market Match daily customer cap changed from $40/day in 2022 to $25/day in 2023 to ensure program funds would not run out. In the brick and mortar setting, DOH quickly changed incentive amount from $5/transaction to $10/transaction from April 2023 - August 2023 because more state funds became available to the program. The ebb and flow of funding makes communicating these changes in incentive amounts difficult to SNAP participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?DOH used a variety of communication tools and tactics to disseminate results to communities of interest. The DOH webpage (www.doh.wa.gov/FVIP) provides information about the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program and GusNIP grant to stakeholders, decisionmakers, and the general public. Fact sheets, data briefs, and the Community Advisory Network reports are available through the DOH webpage. Three e-newsletters were disseminated, which include links to data reports and fact sheets. DOH staff presented at two state conferences about FVIP. Information about FVIP was also provided through Washington's Food Policy Forum, which includes state-level policymakers. DOH informed Washington's Congressional staff about the impact of the GusNIP grant through multiple meetings and presentations, including meeting with Congresswoman Schrier's staff in August 2022, meeting with Congresswoman Del Bene's staff in November 2022, and proving a Washington Congressional Delegation briefing on GusNIP and DOH's Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program in January 2023. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), $9,232,218 in nutrition incentives were redeemed by SNAP participants at 330 farm direct and brick and mortar firms. Seventy-one percent (71%) of the total federal and non-federalfunds for this project ($12,994,398) were used for nutrition incentives. Farm Direct: When customers spend their SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets, they receive extra money called SNAP Market Match to buy fruits and vegetables. Brick and Mortar: When customers spend $10 of their SNAP benefits on qualifying fruits and vegetables at participating large-chain supermarkets (in-store and online), independent grocery stores, and food cooperatives, they receive a coupon for fruits and vegetables off their next purchase or an automatic discount. Goal #1: Farm Direct: During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $3,890,469 at farm direct locations. The amount of nutrition incentives redeemed by SNAP participants through farm direct locations increased by 19% from the first year of the project to the last year of the project ($1,150,832 redeemed in year 1 compared to $1,372,369 redeemed in year 3). During the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), 41 farm direct firms were added to the project, making SNAP Market Match available to SNAP participants who shopped at 121 farm direct firms in 29 counties. Firms processed 151,534 SNAP transactions valued at $4,537,625. The incentive redemption rate was 91%. Brick and Mortar: During the project period, SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $5,341,749 at brick and mortar locations. The amount of nutrition incentives redeemed by SNAP participants through brick and mortar locations increased by 368% from first year of the project to the last year of the project ($733,880 redeemed in year 1 compared to $3,440,310 in year 3). The substantial increase in redemption was due to changing the incentive amount in years 2 and 3 - from buy $10 of qualifying fruits and vegetables to get a $5 coupon or discount to buy $10 of qualifying fruits and vegetables to get a $10 coupon or discount. Additionally, during the project period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023), 32 brick and mortar firms were added to the project, making SNAP Produce Match available to SNAP participants who shopped at 209 grocery stores across 30 counties. Locations included: all Safeway/Albertsons stores in Washington, 3 Fiesta Foods (a Hispanic-serving grocer Yakima and Franklin Counties), Sophiya Mini Market and Halal (serving the Somali population in South King County), The Food Coop and Chimacum Corner Farmstand in Jefferson County (a rural county on the Olympic Peninsula), 2 Community Food Co-ops in Whatcom County, and Skagit Valley Food Coop (Skagit County). SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway and Amazon Fresh in 2022. The incentive redemption rate in brick and mortar locations was 19% over the project period. Brick and mortar nutrition incentives expired 30 days from issuance, which likely led to a smaller redemption rate compared to farm direct firms in which nutrition incentives expire at the end of each calendar year. Goal #2: Farm Direct: During the project period, farm direct firms used Formstack Go, a data collection mobile app, or Excel spreadsheets to track SNAP Market Match distribution and redemption. The majority (81 of 121) of firms collected information through the mobile app; 40 opted for tracking through Excel spreadsheets at some point during the reporting period due to mobile/Wi-Fi connectivity issues. DOH conducted data collection trainings for participating farm direct firm staff annually through the project period, provided a Data Collection Toolkit to firms, and provided additional technical assistance as needed. Brick and Mortar: Safeway and Fiesta Foods offered nutrition incentives to SNAP participants via a coupon on the bottom of the customer receipt. Other independent grocery stores/food cooperatives offered a discount at the point of sale. Both incentive redemption models had benefits and drawbacks for SNAP participants and participating firms. The automation of the coupon method enabled all SNAP participants to receive an incentive for later use; however, during the project period the redemption rate for coupons was less than 20%, indicating many incentives that are earned are not used by SNAP participants. The discount method used by other independent stores/food cooperatives is effective for ensuring incentives are redeemed (they are earned and redeemed in the same transaction); however, SNAP participants need to tell the cashier prior to making their purchase that they plan to use SNAP benefits otherwise the incentive would not be applied. Safeway and Amazon Fresh began offering SNAP Produce Match to online SNAP customers in January 2022 and November 2022, respectively. Online SNAP Produce Match incentives were redeemed at a higher rate than in-store incentive coupons. During the project period, the online SNAP Produce Match redemption rate for Amazon Fresh and Safeway was 71% and 47%, respectively. Incentives redeemed online made up 6% of overall SNAP Produce Match redemptions during the reporting period. Goal #3: DOH and partners conducted multiple outreach and marketing strategies. DOH provided 331,550 free printed outreach materials to community organizations and SNAP participants in 21 languages through www.doh.wa.gov/SNAPMatchPrograms; leveraged SNAP-Ed funds for radio, online, and print advertisements in English and Spanish & priority counties that have high rates of SNAP use, resulting in nearly 1.2 million impressions; sent annual direct mailers to a total of 471,680 SNAP households in priority communities; and used press releases and Medium Blog posts to boost awareness of SNAP Match program partners. Goal #4: DOH's network of community partners was critical for SNAP Match success. DOH convened the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program Advisory Network annually throughout the project period to share information about program expansion and sustainability. DOH developed a contract with Northwest Harvest to coordinate and convene the Community Advisory Network (CAN) and todocument input from individuals to improve access to FVIP and contribute to program planning and future development. The CAN met monthly throughout the project period and provided input on paid media messaging, This reporting period, four more individuals were recruited to the CAN, for a total of 12 members. CAN members met 11 times during the reporting period and provided input on paid media messaging, program expansion, and messaging about program changes to SNAP participants. FVIP staff also partnered with DOH SNAP-Ed staff to develop a SNAP-Ed/FVIP Community of Practice (CoP). community of practice. The purpose of the CoP was to provide a community platform for information sharing, learning, and developing collaborative approaches between FVIP staff and SNAP-Ed state implementing agencies and local implementing agencies. The CoP met monthly from March 2022 - August 2023 and consisted of about 20 members.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Canepa, A., Comeau R., Auvinen A. The 50 State Strategy: Increasing Investment in Nutrition Incentives at the State Level. Presentation at Nutrition Incentive Hub 2023 National Convening; 2023 June 7.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Auvinen A., Marquez-Nieblas G., Connolly K. What do California, Rhode Island, and Washington have in common? EBT Integration. Presentation at Nutrition Incentive Hub 2023 National Convening; 2023 June 7.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project are Washingtonians who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During the reporting period, September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022, an average of 869,976 people accessed SNAP, called "Basic Food", each month in Washington (11% of Washington's total population). During the reporting period, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) worked with 306 farm direct and brick and mortar firms to provide nutrition incentives to SNAP participants. The target audiences reached during this reporting period are summarized by firm type. Farm Direct: One hundred twenty-one (121) farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets in 35 counties offered SNAP Market Match to SNAP participants; this represents an 8% increase in the number of farm direct firms offering SNAP Market Match compared to the previous reporting period (only 112 offered the program reaching 30 counties). SNAP Market Match is available in densely populated metropolitan areas (e.g., Seattle), as well as rural cities and counties in central, eastern, and southwest WA. Participating farm direct firms served 20,492 unique SNAP participants and 8,501 (41%) repeat SNAP participants during the reporting period. Brick and Mortar: One hundred eighty-five (185) grocery stores in 32 counties offered SNAP Produce Match to SNAP participants. During the project period, SNAP Produce Match was available in all Safeway stores in WA, 3 Fiesta Foods (a Hispanic-serving grocer Yakima and Franklin Counties), The Food Coop in Jefferson County (a rural county on the Olympic Peninsula), and 2 Community Food Co-ops in Whatcom County. SNAP Produce Match was also launched for online ordering and delivery through Safeway, making the program more accessible to those who have mobility concerns, transportation issues, or feel unsafe going to a brick-and-mortar store. Changes/Problems:Onboarding more grocery store partners continues to be a significant challenge. Of the 52 brick and mortar firms, DOH identified for participation in GusNIP in 2020, only 6 have been able to offer SNAP Produce Match. Forty of the 52 stores use a third-party provider to configure point-of-sale systems, and that third-party provider is unable to configure the point-of-sale systems due to staffing limitations and despite firm and DOH requests. Although the number of brick and mortar firms is limited, DOH is adding more farm direct firms to continue nutrition incentive expansion. Additionally, with the expansion of SNAP Produce Match to online in early 2022 through Safeway and with Amazon Fresh in late 2022, access to nutrition incentives is becoming more available to individuals who have mobility concerns, unreliable transportation or feel unsafe going to the grocery store. Having Amazon Fresh offer SNAP Produce Match to their online SNAP shoppers may significantly increase the dollar amount of incentives redeemed. The 2021 and 2022 redemption of SNAP Market Match ($2,534,802 combined) was significantly higher than originally anticipated due to SNAP emergency allotments and Pandemic-EBT. While this increased program use in farm direct settings is welcomed, DOH will need to implement a daily cap of $25 per customer per day in 2023 (in 2021 and 2022 the daily cap was $40 per customer per day). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?DOH used a variety of communication tools and tactics to disseminate results to communities of interest. The DOH webpage (www.doh.wa.gov/FVIP) provides information about the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program and GusNIP grant to stakeholders, decisionmakers, and the general public. Fact sheets, data briefs, and the Community Advisory Network inaugural report are available through the DOH webpage. Three e-newsletters were disseminated, which include links to data reports and fact sheets. DOH staff presented at two state conferences about FVIP. Information about FVIP was also provided through Washington's Food Policy Forum, which includes state-level policymakers. DOH met with Congresswoman Schrier's staff in August 2022 to share information about the GusNIP grant. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Implementation changes and additions DOH anticipates 4 more farmers markets and farm stands will offer SNAP Market Match during the 2023 season. Two additional brick and mortar firms will offer SNAP Produce Match during the next reporting period. DOH will expand SNAP Produce Match availability through a partnership with Amazon Fresh. Amazon Fresh will offer SNAP Produce Match to their online SNAP customers. This is anticipated to be the first nutrition incentive program partnership with Amazon Fresh in the country! Outreach DOH will continue to work with community partners to offer pre-developed communication tools (i.e., social media, promotion/marketing materials) through DOH's webpage. DOH will continue to work with participating firms to implement in-market/store promotion and marketing (i.e., through banners, produce stands, etc.). DOH plans to conduct a SNAP Produce Match mailing to SNAP households in fall 2022 and a SNAP Market Match mailing to SNAP households in spring 2023.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the reporting period (September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022), $2,551,530 in nutrition incentives (58% increase over the previous reporting year) were redeemed by SNAP participants at 306 farm direct and brick and mortar firms. Farm Direct: When customers spend their SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets, they receive extra money called SNAP Market Match to buy fruits and vegetables. Brick and Mortar: When customers spend $10 of their SNAP benefits on qualifying fruits and vegetables at participating large-chain supermarkets (in-store and online) and independent grocery stores, they receive a $5 coupon for fruits and vegetables off their next purchase or an automatic $5 discount. Goal #1: Farm Direct: During the reporting period, SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $1,383,970 at farm direct locations. 121 farm direct firms in 35 counties offered incentives to SNAP participants. This is an 8% increase over the 2021 season when 112 participated. The program expanded to 5 additional counties in year 2, making SNAP Market Match available in 35 counties. Firms processed 54,283 SNAP transactions valued at $1,522,852. The incentive redemption rate was 91%, an increase over the previous year in which only 86% of incentives were redeemed. Firms served 20,492 unique SNAP shoppers and 41% of those shoppers (8,501) used the program more than once during the reporting period. Brick and Mortar: During the reporting period, SNAP participants redeemed nutrition incentives worth $1,167,560 at brick and mortar locations, a 151% increase over the previous reporting period. 179 supermarkets (Safeway stores) and 6 independent grocery stores (3 Fiesta Foods stores in Yakima and Franklin Counties; and 3 food co-ops in Jefferson and Whatcom Counties) in 32 counties offered incentives to SNAP participants. Safeway also began offering SNAP Produce Match to shoppers who use online ordering and delivery in January 2022 to increase access of the program to SNAP participants who have mobility concerns, transportation issues, or feel unsafe going to a brick and mortar store. In November 2021 and July - August 2022, Safeway stores offered a $10 coupon for qualifying in-store purchases (which typically are only $5), and from January - August 2022 Safeway online offered a $10 coupon for qualifying online purchases. Safeway offered $10 coupons for a limited time because of corporate fundraising efforts for the program. The Food Co-op in Jefferson County began offering SNAP Produce Match to customers in March 2022 through an automatic $5 discount at the point-of-sale; and 2 Community Food Co-op locations in Whatcom County began offering SNAP Produce Match to customers in May 2022 through an automatic discount. The incentive redemption rate was 13%. Goal #2: Farm Direct: Farm direct firms used Formstack Go, a data collection mobile app, or Excel spreadsheets to track SNAP Market Match distribution and redemption. The majority (90 of 121) of firms collected information through the mobile app; 31 opted for tracking through Excel spreadsheets at some point during the reporting period due to mobile/Wi-Fi connectivity issues. DOH conducted data collection trainings for participating farm direct firm staff from December 2021 - March 2022 and provided a Data Collection Toolkit to firms. Brick and Mortar: Safeway and Fiesta Foods offered nutrition incentives to SNAP participants via a coupon on the bottom of the customer receipt. Starting in January 2022, Safeway began offering SNAP participants the ability to earn and redeem SNAP Produce Match on qualifying online purchases. The redemption rate for Safeway in-store/online and Fiesta Foods coupons was 13% - an increase over the previous reporting year of only 8%. This increase may be a result of Safeway offering a higher incentive amount ($10 instead of $5) for part of the reporting period. The Food Co-op in Jefferson County began offering SNAP Produce Match to customers in March 2022 through an automatic $5 discount at the point-of-sale; and 2 Community Food Co-op locations in Whatcom County began offering SNAP Produce Match to customers in May 2022 through an automatic discount. At the Food Co-ops customers must tell the cashiers that they want to take part in the SNAP Produce Match program and make qualifying purchases. All participating retailers use WA's WIC approved product list for fruits and vegetables- which only includes fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables with no added sugars, fats, salt. Goal #3: DOH and partners conducted multiple outreach and marketing strategies. DOH continued to offer printed outreach materials free-of-charge to community organizations and SNAP participants in 21 languages through www.doh.wa.gov/SNAPMatchPrograms. 126,550 pieces of printed outreach materials, including recipe cards, posters, flyers, rack cards were ordered by community organizations for distribution. DOH partnered with SNAP-Ed to leverage funds for paid media using radio, online, and print advertisements during summer 2022. Radio ads ran in Spanish in Yakima County (21% of the county uses SNAP compared to the 11% statewide average). Two-hundred fifty (250) radio advertisements aired. Online ads through Spotify and Google had over 1 million impressions statewide. Print advertisements ran through a local newspaper in Lewis County (a county that has high SNAP use and relatively low redemption of nutrition incentives) and reached approximately 6,000 households. SNAP Produce Match and SNAP Market Match were promoted through DOH social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter); DOH Facebook page has over 118,000 followers. In February 2022, DOH disseminated a Medium Blog post about the availability of SNAP Produce Match online for SNAP participants; the blog post was view 1,700 times. Farm direct and brick and mortar firms continued to use in-market/store promotion to educate SNAP customers about SNAP Market Match and SNAP Produce Match. Communication toolkits were available to firms and community-based organizations through the DOH webpage, and toolkits were viewed 118 times. Goal #4: DOH's network of community partners is critical for FVIP success. DOH convened the FVIP Advisory Network in November 2021 to share information about program expansion and sustainability. During this reporting period, DOH continued to contract Northwest Harvest to coordinate and convene the Community Advisory Network (CAN) and to document input from individuals to improve access to FVIP and contribute to program planning and future development. This reporting period, four more individuals were recruited to the CAN, for a total of 12 members. CAN members met 11 times during the reporting period and provided input on paid media messaging and guidance to DOH staff on messaging a change in the SNAP Market Match cap for 2023. FVIP staff also partnered with DOH SNAP-Ed staff to develop a SNAP-Ed/FVIP Community of Practice (CoP). community of practice. The purpose of the CoP is to provide a community platform for information sharing, learning, and developing collaborative approaches between FVIP staff and SNAP-Ed state implementing agencies and local implementing agencies. The CoP consists of about 20 members and began meeting monthly in March 2022.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Lubowicki L., Schromen-Wawrin S. You Are What You Eat: Leveraging the Power of Partnerships to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Low-Income Households. Presentation at 2021 Washington State Public Health Association Annual Conference; 2021 October 15.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Auvinen A., Zigas E. Scaling Incentives and Overcoming Access Barriers with EBT Integration. Presentation at Nutrition Incentive Hub 2022 National Convening; 2022 January 18.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project are Washingtonians who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During the reporting period (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021), an average of 937,000 people accessed SNAP (called "Basic Food") each month in Washington. During the reporting period, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) worked with farm direct and brick and mortar firms to provide nutrition incentives to SNAP participants. The target audiences reached during this reporting period are summarized by firm type. Farm Direct: One hundred twelve (112) farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets in 30 counties offered SNAP Market Match to SNAP participants. SNAP Market Match is available in densely-populated metropolitan areas (e.g., Seattle), as well as rural cities and counties in central, eastern, and southwest WA. Participating farm direct firms served 16,253 unique SNAP participants and 6,712 repeat SNAP participants during the reporting period. Brick and Mortar: One hundred seventy-four (174) grocery stores in 32 counties offered SNAP Produce Match (previously called Complete Eats) to SNAP participants. During the project period, SNAP Produce Match was available in all Safeway stores in WA, as well as in Fiesta Foods, a Hispanic-serving grocer Yakima and Franklin Counties. Changes/Problems:Onboarding more grocery store partners has been a significant challenge during the first project year. Independent grocers have experienced staffing shortages and have had limited (or no) time to implement new projects over the past year. Many of the retail partners who want to provide incentives have experienced technical difficulties due to their point-of-sale system. Their system is unable to print a coupon using the WIC approved product list, so those stores need to use a discount model. DOH anticipates these stores will launch the discount model in early 2022. Due to Pandemic EBT being distributed in Washington state during summer 2021, a significant amount of SNAP/EBT benefits (and incentives) were distributed and redeemed in farm direct firms. While this increased program used in farm direct settings is welcomed, it may mean the incentive funding is used faster than originally projected. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Nothing to report. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?DOH used a variety of communication tools and tactics to disseminate results to communities of interest. The DOH webpage (www.doh.wa.gov/FVIP) provides information about the Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program and GusNIP grant to stakeholders, decisionmakers, and the general public. Fact sheets and Legislative reports are available on the webpage and are provided to the Advisory Network and Community Advisory Network so representatives could educate decisionmakers. Quarterly e-newsletters about FVIP were sent to stakeholders in April and July 2021. DOH staff presented at three conferences (one national, two state) and through multiple state webinars about FVIP. Information about FVIP was also provided through Washington's Food Policy Forum. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Implementation changes and additions DOH anticipates at least 4 more farmers markets and farm stands will offer SNAP Market Match during the 2022 season. During the farmers market season, all farm direct firms will use Formstack Go for SNAP transaction data collection. At least24 stores (operated by7 grocers) are expected to be onboarded in the next reporting period. DOH will continue to work retail stores to identify which incentive method is most feasible for their point-of-sale systems (coupon or discount method). To ensure expansion of SNAP Produce Match moves forward, DOH plans to launch a retailer application in fall 2021. The goal is to identify additional retail stores to offer SNAP Produce Match in counties with little or few participating firms and/or that offer culturally relevant foods. The Community Advisory Network will be consulted for retailer expansion efforts. Outreach DOH will continue to work with community partners to offer pre-developed communication tools (i.e., social media, promotion/marketing materials) through DOH's webpage. DOH will continue to work with participating firms to implement in-market/store promotion and marketing (i.e., through banners, produce stands, etc.). DOH plans to conduct a SNAP Produce Match mailing to SNAP households in fall 2021.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
With support from the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grant, Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and partners are expanding Washington's Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program (FVIP). FVIP provides nutrition incentives to participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) so they can afford more fruits and vegetables at participating farm direct and brick and mortar firms. Farm Direct: When customers spend their SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets, they receive extra money (called SNAP Market Match) to spend on fruits and vegetables. In the first year of the GusNIP grant (September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021), 112 of farm direct firms offered SNAP Market Match to their SNAP customers. These firms processed 47,368 SNAP transactions, valued at $1,303,000, and redeemed $1,150,832 in nutrition incentives. The total value of SNAP transactions and incentives redeemed was $2,453,832 with 16,253 SNAP customers served. The redemption rate for incentives was 86%. Brick and Mortar: When customers spend $10 of their SNAP benefits on qualifying fruits and vegetables at participating large-chain supermarkets and independent grocery stores, they receive a $5 coupon for fruits and vegetables off their next purchase. The program, called SNAP Produce Match (previously called Complete Eats), was available in 174 grocery stores in 32 counties. SNAP Produce Match was available in all Safeway stores in WA, as well as in Fiesta Foods, a Hispanic-serving grocer in Yakima and Franklin Counties. These firms redeemed $464,935 in nutrition incentives. The redemption rate for incentives was 8%. Goal #1: Farm Direct: Between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021, 112 farm direct firms in 30 counties offered incentives to SNAP participants. This is 32% increase over the 2020 season when only 85 participated. Firms processed 47,368 SNAP transactions valued at $1,303,000 and redeemed $1,150,832 in SNAP Market Match. The incentive redemption rate was 86%. Firms served 16,253 unique SNAP shoppers and 6,712 repeat SNAP shoppers. Brick and Mortar: During the reporting period, 171 supermarkets (Safeway stores) and 3 independent grocery stores (Fiesta Foods) in 32 counties offer incentives (called SNAP Produce Match) to SNAP participants. Firms redeemed nutrition incentives worth $464,935. Fiesta Foods, a Hispanic-serving grocer in Yakima and Franklin counties, began offering SNAP Produce Match to customers in June 2021. Yakima County has the highest percentage (21%) of SNAP participants in the state and 15% of Franklin County residents use SNAP (compared to the 11% statewide average). The incentive redemption rate was 8%. Goal #2: Farm Direct: 112 farm direct firms used Formstack Go, a data collection mobile app to track SNAP Market Match and SNAP distribution and redemption. Firms documented SNAP transaction information through the mobile app. Firms reported monthly to DOH through Formstack Go the SNAP and incentive redemption information required for NTAE's GusNIP evaluation. DOH conducted data collection trainings for participating farm direct firm staff from December 2020 - March 2021 and provided a Data Collection Toolkit to firms. Some firms had difficulty using the app during market season (e.g., couldn't log into the app), and DOH provided technical assistance to those firms. Brick and Mortar: Safeway and Fiesta Foods offered nutrition incentives via coupons to SNAP customers. In November 2020, Safeway transitioned from using 3rd party (Catalina coupons) for the incentive program to printing the coupons on the bottom of the customer receipt. The change from a Catalina coupon to printing coupons on the bottom of the customer receipt resulted in a lower redemption rate of incentives (4% redemption rate), so DOH determined it was feasible to increase the incentive from a $3 coupon to a $5 coupon in April 2021. From January - May 2021, DOH worked with Fiesta Foods and their point-of-sale technology provider to test incentive transactions. In June 2021, Fiesta Foods launched SNAP Produce Match in three stores. Also in June, the approved product list for SNAP Produce Match transitioned from fresh, canned, and frozen fruits and vegetables to align with WA WIC's approved product list for fruits and vegetables - which only includes fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables with no added sugars, fats, salt. Both Safeway and Fiesta Foods report monthly to DOH their SNAP and incentive transaction information required for NTAE's GusNIP evaluation. Goal #3: DOH and partners conducted multiple outreach and marketing strategies for SNAP Market Match and SNAP Product Match. DOH developed or updated outreach materials during the reporting period. Materials were available in 21 languages and made available to community organizations through www.doh.wa.gov/SNAPMatchPrograms. 205,000 of outreach materials, including recipe cards, posters, flyers, rack cards were ordered by community organizations for distribution. In June 2021, SNAP Market Match mailers were sent to 104,000 SNAP households that live within 10 miles of newly participating farm direct firms. Radio advertisements ran in Spanish for SNAP Market Match and SNAP Produce Match were played in the Yakima County-region (21% of the county uses SNAP compared to the 11% statewide average). Two-hundred fifty-two (252) radio advertisements air from June - August 2021 and were accompanied by two 1-hour program interviews. Online (Sportify) advertisements ran in English in Yakima County 155,241 times between June - August 2021 and 35,539 unique users heard the ad and resulted in 438 clicks on the ad. Farm direct and brick and mortar firms used in-market/store promotion to educate SNAP customers about SNAP Market Match and SNAP Produce Match. In-market/store promotion included banners/A-boards with SNAP Market Match information at farmers markets; and SNAP Produce Match stands placed in the produce section at grocery stores. Communication toolkits for SNAP Market Match and SNAP Product Match were developed and made available on www.doh.wa.gov/SNAPMatchPrograms. The toolkits, which include social media templates, press release templates, and digital artwork, were intended for participating firms and community-based organizations to use for outreach. Toolkits had 54 unique hits during the project period. Goal #4: DOH's vast network of state and community partners is critical for FVIP success. DOH convened the FVIP Advisory Network (AN) in September 2020 to share information about information about program expansion and sustainability. DOH also participated in Washington State Food Assistance Program quarterly meetings with other state agencies (e.g., Department of Social and Health Services, the SNAP agency; WA State Department of Agriculture, and WIC) to coordinate promotion efforts across food assistance programs. During this reporting period, DOH contracted with Northwest Harvest, a leading racial and social justice organization in Washington state, to coordinate and convene the Community Advisory Network (CAN) and to document input from individuals to improve access to FVIP and contribute to program planning and future development. The CAN is comprised of eight individuals across Washington who use SNAP and incentive programs and reside in urban and rural counties (Ferry, King, Stevens, Pierce, and Yakima). CAN members began meeting monthly in January 2021 and have since provided input on the expansion of FVIP to add more independent grocery stores; rebranding of the brick and mortar program (now called SNAP Produce Match); and educating decisionmakers about their experiences with SNAP benefits and incentive programs.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Nambuthiri S, Marcinkevage J, Auvinen A. Evaluation of a fruit and vegetable coupon program in large-chain grocery stores of Washington State. Poster presented at Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Annual Conference; 2021 June 13-17.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Lubowicki L. SNAP Produce Match. Presentation at 2021 Washington SNAP-Ed Statewide Forum; 2021 August 17.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Weyrauch A. SNAP Market Match Program Updates. Presentation at 2021 Washington State Farmers Market Association Conference; 2021 February 23.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
The SNAP Produce Match webpage was created and published in June 2021. The webpage provides SNAP participants and those who service providers information about SNAP Produce Match, including how the program works and where to access the nutrition incentive program: www.doh.wa.gov/SNAPProduceMatch
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