3 minute read

Strolling through the farmers market is a favorite way to spend a Saturday morning. But what many market patrons might not know is that their local market is more than just a destination for fresh produce. It is a key player in helping families access fresh, healthy food: Many farmers markets accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as a form of payment, and some even double the value of benefits.

Historically, many farmers markets accepted paper food stamps as a form of payment. This was complicated, however, in 2001 when the paper stamps were replaced by Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. At that time, markets lacked the electricity access and technology needed to accept credit or debit cards – so EBT cards could not be accepted either.

The 2014 Farm Bill offered a solution. Among other expansions of SNAP, this bill initiated testing new ways for benefits to be used, such as through online transactions and via mobile devices. This made it possible for SNAP benefits to be used at retailers like farmers markets that may lack permanent, electronic registers. The 2014 Farm Bill also launched the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, which funds projects that help SNAP participants purchase produce at a variety of retailers, including farmers markets.

In Virginia, SNAP benefits have even more purchasing power at farmers markets. Seventy-five markets participate in Virginia Fresh Match, a program that provides half-off coupons for fresh produce to SNAP participants, effectively doubling the amount of food they can buy.

Virginia Fresh Match has proven to be a great success — some markets saw SNAP redemption more than triple thanks to the program! That means exponentially more fresh, healthy produce has become accessible to low-income families.

And it’s not just SNAP: Through the Farmers Market Fresh program, many markets accept Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits, and low-income senior citizens can receive free vouchers for fresh produce.

Wondering how shoppers can find markets that accept benefits? VFHY maintains FeedVA, a resource hub for information about food access, food security, and nutrition across the commonwealth. There you’ll find a map detailing every farmers market in Virginia, with the ability to only show those that accept SNAP, WIC, and SFMNP benefits.

So add your local farmers market to your grocery shopping list and support an ally helping to address food insecurity in your community!