healthy food - CANDY, SODA AND SNAP: THE REALITY - SIBEJO

Angered by the federal government�s denial of his request to bar residents from buying candy or sugar-sweetened beverages with SNAP benefits, Maine Governor Paul LePage has threatened to end the state�s administration of the program. Is there any truth to his claim that SNAP recipients spend most of their benefits on junk food?  

• Poor diet quality is a systemic issue and is not specific to SNAP recipients. Research shows that the diets the diets of SNAP participants are only slightly less healthy than other Americans. According to one study, SNAP participants consume more sugary drinks than higher-income people but the same amount as other low-income people who do not receive SNAP. And compared with higher-income people, SNAP recipients are less likely to consume sweets and desserts, salty snacks, and added fats and oils.
• Comprehensive information about how SNAP participants spend their benefits is lacking, but information from Walmart, which redeems a significant portion of SNAP dollars, gives us an important clue. The top items SNAP households buy in Walmart stores are not soda and candy, but basic inexpensive foods, such as bananas, whole milk, Ramen noodles, and hot dogs. These are perhaps not the most nutritious options, but they indicate that families are frequently searching for inexpensive meals, not desserts and drinks.

Source: Urban Institute, 6/27/16, SNAP Realities

healthy food - HIGHER SNAP BENEFITS MEANS MORE FOOD, BETTER NUTRITION - SIBEJO

Boosting SNAP benefits raises not only the amount that low-income households spend on groceries but also its nutritional quality, according to a new study. The study�s main findings include:

• Low-income families report that to meet their food needs, they would need to spend an additional $4-$9 per person weekly on food.  �Food-insecure� families, who are more likely to be poorer, report needing to spend an additional $12-$20 per person weekly.
• If households received an additional $30 per month per person in SNAP benefits (which would be about a 20% increase in the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, the basis for SNAP benefits), their food spending would go up by about $19 per person, based on the food spending patterns of households with somewhat more resources.
• That increase in food spending, in turn, would raise consumption of more nutritious foods--households would consume more tomatoes and vegetables and less fast food.

Source: Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 6/14/16,  More SNAP, Better Nutrition

healthy food - Excellus BlueCross BlueShield supports GardenShare - SIBEJO

All Farmers Markets in St. Lawrence County are equipped to accept debit cards or SNAP-EBT benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps).  To use these cards, the customer should visit the Market Manager's booth, where the cards can be swiped and tokens will be provided to spend with the farmers.  GardenShare manages this service for the Farmers Markets and more information can be found here.

GardenShare President Carol Pynchon and Executive
Director Gloria McAdam, accept the award from
Jim Reed. Regional President, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

This year, thanks to a generous grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, GardenShare will be able to double the value for anyone purchasing at the Farmers Market with a SNAP-EBT card.  For each $5.00 charged to the SNAP-EBT card, the customer will receive $10.00 worth of tokens that can be spent for SNAP approved items like fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, or food plants at the Farmers Market.

In addition, SNAP-EBT customers will receive a frequent customer card.  After visiting and purchasing food at the market five different days, the SNAP-EBT customer will receive an additional $20.00 in tokens to be spent at the Farmers Market for these food items.  This benefit is also supported through the grant from Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield.

healthy food - Gouverneur Famers Market opens tommorow, June 2 - SIBEJO

The Gouverneur Farmers Market opens on Thursday, June 2, on the Village Green in Gouverneur.  The market will be open from 9:00 to 2:00 every Thursday until October.

The Canton Farmers Market is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Tuesday and Friday until October.

The Potsdam Farmers Market is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Saturday until October.

Farmers markets in Hammond and Massena will open next month.

Farmers Markets are held rain or shine.

In June at the Farmers Markets, you may find asparagus, beets, broccoli, green onions, herbs, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, scallions, spinach, and strawberries, among other things.  In addition, the markets frequently have other food, wine, and craft vendors. 

All Farmers Markets in St. Lawrence County are equipped to accept debit cards or SNAP-EBT benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps).  To use these cards, the customer should visit the Market Manager's booth, where the cards can be swiped and tokens will be provided to spend with the farmers.  GardenShare manages this service for the Farmers Markets and more information can be found at http://gardenshare.org/content/farmers-markets

This year, thanks to a generous grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, GardenShare will be able to double the value for anyone purchasing at the Farmers Market with a SNAP-EBT card.  For each $5.00 charged to the SNAP-EBT card, the customer will receive $10.00 worth of tokens that can be spent for SNAP approved items like fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, or food plants at the Farmers Market.

In addition, SNAP-EBT customers will receive a frequent customer card.  After visiting and purchasing food at the market five different days, the SNAP-EBT customer will receive an additional $20.00 in tokens to be spent at the Farmers Market for these food items.  This benefit is also supported through the grant from Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield.

"Shopping at our local Farmers Markets is certainly a fun way to meet your neighbors and area farmers while picking up the freshest, healthiest produce possible," said Gloria McAdam, executive director of GardenShare.  "Shopping at the Farmers Markets is especially important because it supports our local farmers and keeps that money in the local economy.  Everyone deserves the chance to take part in the community-building of a Farmers Market and to eat the great food.  GardenShare is happy we can make the benefit of this healthy, locally-grown food accessible to our lower-income neighbors."

healthy food - MODERNIZING SNAP BENEFITS - SIBEJO

SNAP  benefit levels are �based on increasingly outdated assumptions, including unreasonable expectations about households� availability of time to prepare food, and need to be modernized,� a new paper explains. It calls for a 20% benefit increase in the short term and more research to modernize the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) � the estimate of a bare-bones, nutritionally adequate diet that USDA uses to calculate SNAP benefits.  The cost of the TFP, which hasn�t been updated to reflect changes in dietary recommendations since the 1970s, �assumes that low-income households can spend an unlimited amount of time preparing food from scratch and has consequently shifted toward the food items that are lowest cost but most time-intensive,� according to the paper.

Source: Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 5/25/16, SNAP