1. Contact: Anthony Eleftherion, Intern Associate, First Focus
| AnthonyE@firstfocus.net | 202.657.0600 | www.firstfocus.net
Hunger & Obesity:
Efforts to Combat the Problem through SNAP Pilot
Programs
8/8/2013
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is responsible for providing children and families from
low income backgrounds with food and nutritional support. According to recent data, the program currently helps
support approximately 47.5 million people across the nation1
, approximately 47 percent of which are children.2
However, children and families from low income backgrounds are still disproportionately affected by hunger and
obesity- two issues which have become linked over the past several decades. Of the 3.7 low income children aged
two to four years old in the US, close to one third are obese3
; meanwhile, over 20 percent of low-income families
with children under the age of 6 nationwide suffer from food insecurity, or the inability to consistently provide
enough food for each member of the family.4
Both hunger and obesity are nutrition issues that pose substantial problems for child well-being. Hunger
significantly affects a child’s educational performance, cognitive ability, and overall health and well-being.5
Meanwhile, obesity has been linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and low self-esteem for
children.6
A host of issues have contributed to this epidemic, particularly the excess availability of calorie dense foods in
comparison to healthy foods in the low-income communities. Calorie dense foods contribute to hunger and
obesity, as they lack the vital nutrients that people need to feel fuller for longer and subsequently live healthy, active
lives. Many communities where low-income families reside have an abundance of calorie dense fast food
restaurants, but lack the necessary supermarkets or farmers markets where healthy or nutritious foods can be
purchased.7
Additionally, low-income families sometimes cannot afford to make healthy food choices when available, as these
foods can cost more money than their calorie dense counterparts. The USDA has provided suggestions for families
to reduce the costs of purchasing healthy foods such as buying produce in-season, and coordinating healthy
purchases with coupons and related sales. In addition SNAP-Ed- the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention
Grant Program works in conjunction with the SNAP program and schools to teach families how to buy and prepare
meals healthier. While these efforts are helpful, alone they cannot fully address the limited supermarket access and
general resources that SNAP recipients have at their disposal to fully commit to these practices regularly. A
concerted effort to understand these circumstances, and reach out and educate the affected families as to the costs
and benefits of purchasing and consuming healthy foods is also needed.
In a partial response to these problems, policymakers have discussed the possibility of limiting the purchase of
certain calorie dense foods in SNAP.8
However, these policies do not address the situation properly as they would
only stand to exacerbate the problems of limited food supply that affect the program’s children and families.

2. Hunger and Obesity: Efforts to Combat the Problem through SNAP Pilot Programs
2
SOLVING THE PROBLEM AT THE STATE LEVEL
A solution that has gained traction in recent years is the state securement of SNAP waivers from the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA). These waivers have allowed the states to implement pilot programs designed
to increase SNAP recipients’ access to healthy foods through farmers markets in their communities. Built through
partnerships between state and local governments as well as private organizations, these pilot programs have
provided SNAP recipients with the ability to discount the price of healthy foods by matching their purchases up to
a certain amount. This has not only made fruits and vegetables more affordable, but it has drastically improved the
access that many low income families have to healthy foods in their communities.
Currently, five pilot programs have been established in states such as New York, Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts,
and Illinois. Thus far, each of the five programs has had varying levels of success.
CURRENT SNAP PILOT PROGRAMS
New York, NY: Health Bucks
Partnership between GrowNYC and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which
established the SNAP pilot program in 2005
Offers a free $2 coupon for every $5 of SNAP benefits spent at participating New York City farmers’
markets
SNAP purchases at farmer’s markets reached over $638,000 in 2012, a growth of 63,000% since the
program’s inception9
$260,000 in Health Bucks distributed in 2012 alone, across 51 participating farmer’s markets10
Portland, Oregon: Fresh Exchange
Partnership between the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), Portland Farmers Market and a
coalition of leaders in the community, which established the pilot program in 2009
Provides up to $7 in matching funds for SNAP recipients when they make purchases at the appropriate
Portland area farmers markets
Available at three out of four farmers markets in the Portland area
$44,000 in funds provided to families in need thus far11

3. Hunger and Obesity: Efforts to Combat the Problem through SNAP Pilot Programs
3
Evanston, Illinois
Established in 2011 with a contribution from Evanston Hospital
Provides 50 cents for every SNAP dollar spent, up to $10, at Evanston farmers markets
Expanded access to healthy foods for SNAP recipients and increased the SNAP dollars received by farmers
markets12
Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Bounty Bucks
Partnership between the Office of the Mayor of Boston and a local organization by the name of The Food
Project, which established the pilot program in 2008
Matches SNAP recipients purchases at participating farmers markets up to $10
In 2012, 18 participating markets with a combined sales revenue of $170,00013
Michigan (statewide): Double Up Food Bucks
Established in 2009 through a partnership between the state of Michigan’s government, and various state
and local organizations
Matches SNAP recipients purchases up to $20 for each visit
Started with 5 pilot markets and now has expanded to over 75 pilot markets
SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks spending at farmers markets topped $1.91 million in 201214
These results show that the pilot programs can be effective in increasing the access that low-income families have to
healthy and nutritious foods in their communities. However, combining these pilot programs with other initiatives
could further enhance the SNAP recipient’s knowledge of and access to healthy and nutritious foods in their
communities. For instance, if pilot programs are implemented in conjunction with SNAP-Ed low-income families
would have the comprehensive support they need to lead more healthy and fruitful lives.
As a result of this multifaceted approach, the nation would be better able to combat the negative effects of hunger
and obesity, which have specifically affected children and families from low-income backgrounds. Policymakers
should use the evidence of successful pilots to provide support for the national availability of similar pilot programs,
in conjunction with other initiatives already established through SNAP and SNAP-Ed.

4. Hunger and Obesity: Efforts to Combat the Problem through SNAP Pilot Programs
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ENDNOTES
1 “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Number of Persons Participating” (United States Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, April 2013), http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/29snapcurrpp.htm.
2 Brynne Keith-Jennings, “SNAP Plays a Critical Role in Helping Children” (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 17,
2012), http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3805.
3 “Obesity Among Low-Income Preschool Children” (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, n.d.),
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/PedNSSFactSheet.pdf.
4 Alisha Coleman-Jensen et al., Household Food Security in the United States, Economic Research Report (Washington, D.C.:
United States Department of Agriculture, September 2012), V, http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/884525/err141.pdf.
5 Ronald E. Kleinman et al., “Hunger in Children in the United States: Potential Behavioral and Emotional Correlates,”
Pediatrics 101, no. 1 (January 1998): 1, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/101/1/e3.full.pdf.
6 T. Lobstein, L. Baur, and R. Uauy, “Obesity in Children and Young People: a Crisis in Public Health,” Obesity Reviews 5, no. 1
(April 16, 2004): 4, 27, 29, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2004.00133.x/pdf.
7 Harvard University, School of Public Health, “Toxic Food Environment,” The Obesity Prevention Source, n.d.
8 Harvard University, School of Public Health, “Food Assistance Programs,” The Obesity Prevention Source, n.d.,
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-prevention/food-environment/food-assistance-programs/.
9 Healthy Food, Healthy City: Greenmarket EBT (New York, NY: GrowNYC, 2012), 1, 3,
http://www.grownyc.org/files/gmkt/EBT/2011EBTReport.pdf.
10 “Health Bucks and EBT,” GrowNYC, n.d., http://www.grownyc.org/greenmarket/ebt/healthbucks.
11 Dave Adamshick, “New Charity Farmers Market Fund Will Nurture Fresh Exchange,” Portland Farmers Market, April 23,
2012, http://portlandfarmersmarket.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/new-charity-farmers-market-fund-will-nurture-fresh-
exchange/.
12 Karen Chen, “Link Card Holders Offered Incentive to Shop at Farmers’ Markets,” The Daily Northwestern, May 26, 2011, sec.
Archive, http://dailynorthwestern.com/2011/05/26/archive-manual/link-card-holders-offered-incentive-to-shop-at-farmers-
markets/.
13 “SNAP/Bounty Bucks,” Boston Farmers Markets, n.d., http://bostonfarmersmarkets.org/bounty-bucks/.
14 Double Up Food Bucks: 2012 Evaluation Report (Ann Arbor, MI: Fair Food Network, 2013), 3, 7,
http://www.fairfoodnetwork.org/sites/default/files/FFN_DUFB_Evaluation_2012_sm_0.pdf.