Harvest Bucks Increasing Healthy Food Access Through Point of Purchase Incentives

Harvest Bucks

Increasing Healthy Food Access Through Point of Purchase

Incentives

Boulder County HEAL Focus Area

HEAL Action Areas

• 5 servings of fruits and vegetables

•1 hour of physical activity

•0 sugary drinks

• breastfeeding duration

Healthy Eating Action Area

Prioritized Indicators• Percentage of children

meeting daily recommendation for fruit and vegetable consumption

Strategies• Increase access to fruits

and vegetables through pricing, placement, and urban planning strategies.

• Encourage organizations and systems that serve children and families to promote fruit and vegetable consumption.

Building Support Through Diverse Partnerships

History of SNAP and WIC @ the BCFM

• Accepting SNAP for 8 years

• WIC Program for more than 20 years

• Markets on Saturday and Wednesday

• Longmont and Boulder

Incentive Origins

• Western Adaptation Alliance Conference – Boulder County Public Health– Boulder County Parks and Open Space– City of Boulder Human Services Department– Boulder County Farmers’ Market– Boulder County Human Services Department

Harvest Bucks – What Are They?

• Spent like cash• $1 denominations• Match SNAP

benefits up to $40 • Only eligible for

fruits and vegetables

Harvest Bucks – How it Works

• Step 1:– Find the information

booth– Proceed with EBT

card

Harvest Bucks – How it Works

• Step 2– Withdraw SNAP Bucks

from your EBT account– Use SNAP bucks for all

SNAP eligible foods• Fruits• Vegetables• Meats• Cheese• Eggs• Bread

Harvest Bucks – How it Works

• Step 3– Receive matching

Harvest Bucks– Match up to $40 per

market per week– Only eligible for fruits

and vegetables

Step 4 - Shop

Program Results

Boulder Wednesday

Boulder Saturday

Longmont Saturday

Year Total$0.00

$5,000.00

$10,000.00

$15,000.00

$20,000.00

$25,000.00

$30,000.00

$35,000.00

$40,000.00

$45,000.00

2014

2015

2015 SNAP + HB

SNAP and Harvest Buck Sales 2014 - 2015

Increase in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

• 85.7% of participants wouldn’t shop without the incentives

• 94.6% get at least half of their fruits and vegetables from the farmers’ market

• As a result of the Harvest Bucks Program– 100 % agreed or strongly

agreed that it was easier to buy fruits and vegetables

– 86% increased fruit and vegetables consumption

– 89% increased the variety of fruits and vegetables

Ingredients for Success

• Administrative Support• Existing SNAP Program• Program Promotion

– HHS (SNAP enrollment)– SNAP-Ed– YMCA– Food Banks– Cities– WIC

• Evaluation• Fundraising

Building Sustainability

• Proposed 2016 Sustainability Tax

• Political Support– Food Systems Advisory

Board– Making Local Food Work

• Fiscal Support– City of Boulder– Boulder County HHS

• Unique funding opportunities

How it Works

• http://vimeo.com/104122539

Questions?

Rachel Arndt, AICPBuilt Environment and HEAL CoordinatorBoulder County Public HealthEmail: rarndt@bouldercounty.orgPh: 303.441.1182