UPDATE: Produce Perks Enhancement

In coordination with Produce Perks Midwest, we have enhanced our Produce Perks promotion for a limited time.  This is to provide additional benefits to SNAP EBT customers during this COVID pandemic and encourage healthier food purchases.  Our voucher program will be increased to allow vouchers to be distributed in values from $5 up to a maximum of $50, in $5 increments.  This will be in effect Monday, March 30.  The current expanded program will run through June 30.  We will reevaluate the end date during this period for consideration of expanding the increased values program longer (the $5 and $10 will continue indefinitely). The promotions will work similarly to our current $5 and $10 vouchers, based on the amount of eligible purchases, along with the use of a SNAP EBT card.  For example, to earn a $20 voucher, the customer would need to purchase between $20.00 and $24.99 in qualifying produce purchases and use their EBT card for payment.

Produce Perks Provices Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for low-income shoppers

For families who rely on SNAP (Food Stamps), fresh produce is often off the table – literally. But in Wayne County – and now Tuscarawas and Coshocton Counties too – that’s changed. Produce Perks is bringing “produce-purchasing power” to the families who need it most.

Now families shopping with SNAP at six locations of Buehler’s Fresh Foods will receive up to $10 extra – per visit – to spend on fruits and vegetables. It’s all part of a partnership with the national non-profit Produce Perks Midwest and by the Ohio Department of Health and on track to reach tens of thousands of Ohioans this year.

We all know we should eat fruits and vegetables daily, but families struggling with poverty often simply cannot afford them. As a result, the same people forced to skip meals are also likely to suffer from obesity and diabetes—because the foods they can afford lead to high rates of diet-related disease. But when people can afford fresh produce, they buy it. That’s where this program comes in.

Each time SNAP customers spend at least $5 on fresh produce at participating Buehler’s, they will receive a $5 coupon for more fresh fruits and vegetables.  There’s no enrollment or paperwork to fill out; shoppers receive the benefit automatically. Six Buehler’s Fresh Foods locations (Dover, New Philadelphia, Coshocton, Orrville and the two stores in Wooster) are currently distributing produce vouchers.

Today SNAP shoppers can find Produce Perks at nearly 100 farmers markets across Ohio. And the Ohio Grocers Association has played a key role, while Buehler’s Fresh Foods, an employee-owned company with 13 stores serving Northern Ohio has made the idea a reality.

“The Ohio Department of Health’s Creating Healthy Communities Program is committed to improving healthy food access in under-resourced communities,” said Ann Weidenbenner, MS, RDN, LD, Creating Healthy Communities Program Manager, Ohio Department of Health. “The expansion of the Produce Perks program to three Buehler’s retail locations in Wayne County improves access to fresh fruits and vegetables for residents and helps families on SNAP stretch their food dollars.”

“Produce Perks is thrilled to have Buehler’s Fresh Foods on our team. We recognize their leadership amongst Ohio grocery-retailers and appreciate their commitment to providing affordable access to healthy foods. We’re excited to be working with a retail partner that shares our values toward building equitable communities and resilient food systems. – Tevis Foreman, Executive Director, Produce Perks Midwest.

PROJECT PARTNERS & ROLES:

In 2017, the Ohio Department of Health made a pioneering investment of $800,000 in the statewide growth of Produce Perks. ODH continues to be a key partner and active participant in the efforts to expand the program to new communities across Ohio.

Wholesome Wave, a nationally-recognized leader in the field of nutrition incentive programs, manages the contract with the Ohio Department of Health. Wholesome Wave also provides technical expertise on the expansion of Produce Perks into grocery stores, complete with a marketing campaign designed to spread the word to SNAP consumers in surrounding communities.

Produce Perks Midwest, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit, serves as the backbone organization of the Ohio Nutrition Incentive Network, a multi-sector collaboration of stakeholders working to increase affordable access to healthy food for Ohio’s under-resourced communities, while strengthening local farms and economies. Find out more at www.ProducePerks.org.

The Ohio Grocers Association serves as a key partner in program development and growth, supporting store recruitment, Produce Perks promotion, and sustainability.

The Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods at Case Western Reserve University manages project evaluation.