USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $21 million is available to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables by providing incentives at the point of purchase. The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
“More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, and the public health implications are staggering,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “Through FINI, we offer healthier eating options to millions of SNAP participants to help combat chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.”
FINI is a joint program between NIFA and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP and is responsible for evaluating the impact of the variety of incentive programs that are deployed by FINI grantees.
The program brings together stakeholders from different parts of the national food system to improve the nutrition and health status of SNAP households. The FINI program supports a wide range of small pilot projects; multi-year community programs; and multi-year, large-scale initiatives.
Eligible applicants include government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 13, 2017. See the request for applications for details.
Source: USDA NIFA