USDA GRANT TO HELP WITH NUTRITION INCENTIVES AT FARMERS’ MARKETS, SMALL RETAILERS

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SACRAMENTO, January 9, 2023 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has announced that a USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grant of $12.9 million will fund nutrition incentives at Certified Farmers’ Markets and small retailers throughout California. The grant will help CDFA’s California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) offer nutrition incentives to CalFresh Shoppers at participating Certified Farmers’ Markets, mobile market sites, farm stands and neighborhood retail markets throughout California. Click here to read the USDA award announcement.
 
“This grant is a triple win for California,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “It supports the health of our low-income shoppers, our farmers and the local economy.”
 
For every CalFresh benefit dollar spent at participating locations, CalFresh shoppers will receive an additional dollar that can be spent on fruits and vegetables at the market, within set parameters. The CNIP incentive is intended to empower CalFresh shoppers to increase their consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables while expanding markets for California farmers. CNIP is administered by CDFA’s Office of Farm to Fork, which leads CDFA’s food access work.
 
Funding from the 2021 state budget provided matching funds that enabled CDFA to apply for the GusNIP grant. CDFA will work with the following seven partner organizations, chosen through a competitive process, to implement grants: the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Activities League –ALL IN Eats Nutrition Incentives; Aspire Health’s Double Up Food Bucks in Monterey County; the Chico Natural Foods Co-op's Matching On Regional Eats: MORE; the Ecology Center’s 2022-24 Market Match: Meeting California’s Growing Food Security Needs; the Los Angeles Food Policy Council’s Farm Fresh LA; Mandela Partners’ Celebrating and Resourcing Food Sovereignty in East Bay Neighborhoods; and The Food Trust’s San Jose Healthy Corner Store Program – Food Bucks.
 
Please visit the California Nutrition Incentive Program webpage for more information.
 

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