US: $16.8 million awarded to increase access to healthy food
One of the biggest challenges producers face when trying to bring their food to customers is connecting with the restaurants, markets, retailers, institutions and individuals to which they would like to sell. Often times the infrastructure needed to link producers to consumers is minimal or lacking entirely. For SNAP users in particular, another major barrier to accessing local and regional food is a benefit level set too low to afford fresh, healthful products.
The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) Program helps SNAP users to access more fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets while still providing farmers with a fair price for their goods by offering grants to projects that help SNAP participants increase their farmers market purchasing power. USDA announced a new round of FINI awards on August 7, providing $16.8 million for 32 grant projects that encourage SNAP participants to make healthy food choices.
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