Nonprofit organization Fair Food Network has received $1.5 million in new federal support to expand the Double Up Food Bucks produce incentive program to grocery stores in five states, reaching nearly 1 million SNAP recipients. Produce incentives boost the value of SNAP benefits when spent on fruits and vegetables. This funding will launch Double Up at independent […]
Tag: SNAP
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Senate Passes Farm Bill, Omits House Bill’s SNAP Requirements
The Senate passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill on June 28 with a bipartisan vote of 86-11. The $867 billion bill does not include the controversial work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients that were included in the House version of the bill. It also restates a prohibition of interchange and […]
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No New SNAP Work Requirements In ‘Bipartisan’ Senate Farm Bill
The Senate Agriculture Committee on Friday released its version of the Farm Bill, which is expected to receive bipartisan support. Notably missing from the Senate bill are provisions from the House’s version that would have introduced new work requirements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Industry reactions to the House bill were mixed, […]
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House Legislators Fail To Pass Farm Bill Over SNAP, Immigration Debate
The U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass the $867 billion farm bill today. The vote was 198-213. According to multiple sources, the failure was due in part to Democrats’ opposition to work requirements for those participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). On the Republican side, the House Freedom Caucus wanted to include […]
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NGA: Store-Level SNAP Data Should Remain Private
Food stamp sales data is now public information. That’s according to a ruling by a three-judge panel of the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota, in Argus Leader Media vs United States Department of Agriculture. The decision “paves the way for the United States Department of Agriculture to release more than a […]
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Larkin: Setting The Record Straight On SNAP
by Peter Larkin/ president and CEO, National Grocers Association Special to The Shelby Report In April, NGA—alongside the Food Marketing Institute (FMI)—welcomed supermarket retailers, wholesalers and food industry state association executives from across the nation to Washington, D.C., for the annual “Day in Washington” supermarket industry fly-in. The timing of the fly-in could not have been more […]
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Industry Reacts To Bipartisan Policy Center Report On SNAP
In 2017, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) launched a 13-member task force to explore strategies for promoting healthy nutrition through public programs and policies related to food and health. The task force focused on what it says are opportunities to strengthen and improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to more […]
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Independent Grocers Urge Congress To Oppose ‘Harvest Box’ Proposal
The National Grocers Association (NGA) sent a letter on behalf of the independent supermarket industry to Capitol Hill on Friday, March 2, urging opposition to the White House’s harvest box proposal, which would drastically change the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by replacing about 40 percent of SNAP benefits with a government run food delivery […]
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SNAP Food Box Plan Draws Backlash In Washington, D.C.
Retailers, hunger advocacy groups and lawmakers have criticized the federal proposal turning the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) program into a food delivery program, noted the Massachusetts Food Association (MFA) in a recently weekly newsletter, quoting the National Grocers Association (NGA). The release of the proposal, according to NGA, caught Washington by surprise because […]
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Ag Secretary Announces $16.8M To Encourage SNAP Participants To Purchase Healthy Foods
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Monday announced 32 grants totaling $16.8 million to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition […]
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Schnucks Launches Double Up Food Bucks At All Missouri Stores
Through a partnership with Fair Food Network and a grant provided by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Schnucks is launching Double Up Food Bucks at all 56 of its Missouri stores. The program starts immediately and will run as long as local produce is available. Double Up Food Bucks is a national model for healthy […]
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Food Retail Industry Concerned With Nutrition Cuts In President’s Budget
The food retail industry is expressing concern over President Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal released this week. Food Marketing Institute (FMI) President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin said, “The president’s proposed budget seems to estimate that $2 billion in revenue to reduce expenditures on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be generated for the first […]
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Rosie To Serve As First Online Grocery Shopping Platform For Independents To Accept EBT/SNAP Payments
by Lorrie Griffith/editor-in-chief Independent grocers that use e-commerce provider Rosie’s app soon will be able to allow their shoppers to shop online and pay for SNAP-eligible items at-store using their EBT benefits. Jon Ambrose, co-founder and COO of Rosie, told The Shelby Report at his company’s booth at the recent NGA Show that Rosie has […]
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Balls Food Stores COO Testifies Before House Ag Committee On SNAP Program
Mike Beal, COO of Balls Food Stores in Kansas City, Kansas, on Wednesday testified on behalf of the National Grocers Association (NGA) before the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee in a hearing titled “The Past, Present and Future of SNAP: Opportunities for Improving Access to Food.” In his testimony, Beal shared the positive impacts […]
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USDA Seeks Retailer Volunteers For SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot
The USDA is seeking retailer volunteers for a two-year nationwide pilot to enable Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to purchase their groceries online. The 2014 Farm Bill mandated a pilot be conducted to test the possibility of allowing retail food stores to accept SNAP benefits through online transactions. Up to five retailers in three […]