{"id":37540,"date":"2016-03-16T14:19:01","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T19:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=37540"},"modified":"2016-03-16T14:19:01","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T19:19:01","slug":"legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Anna Boisseau<\/strong><\/p>\n

Farmers markets might seem like an unaffordable option for those on a limited food stamp budget, but that\u2019s changing thanks to the double value coupon program. In most Chicago-based markets and some others across the state, food stamp recipients receive coupons to match up to $25 of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can get high quality local food for the same price as they could get cheap processed grocery food,\u201d said Kim Snyder, owner of Faith\u2019s Farm in Bonfield, Ill.<\/p>\n

Currently, with no state-wide funding for the program, many low-income Illinoisans are left without the financial means for healthier shopping at farmers markets. But a bill currently introduced into the Illinois House of Representatives, referred to as the \u201cHealthy Food Incentives Fund,\u201d could change that. The legislation proposes to carve out $1 million a year to endow coupon programs across the state.
\n<\/p>\n

\"SNAP
Many Chicago-based farmers markets, like this one at the Plant, allow customers to purchase products with their food stamp benefits. (Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019ve discovered over the years is it\u2019s is really not super sustainable the way it currently functions,\u201d said Connie Spreen, executive director of the Experimental Station, a Chicago-based non profit that helps fund the City of Chicago\u2019s coupon program. Spreen said the Experimental Station currently redistributes its grant money and seeks other local donations to fund markets in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless we can get some way of bringing in a stable amount of funding consistently, it kind of comes and goes,\u201d Spreen said.<\/p>\n

With Illinois\u2019 budget crisis, bills like the Healthy Food Incentives Fund are struggling to gain support in the state government. But according to Mark Peysakhovich, an American Heart Association advocate for the legislation, the bill would actually save the state government money.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s almost an exact match between people who are on food stamps and people who get government-paid-for Medicaid,\u201d Peysakhovich said. \u201cIf we get people on Medicaid eating healthier, as tax payers, we\u2019re going to be spending less money on health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Spreen, a farmers market is a healthier food environment than a supermarket. \u201cYou don\u2019t have tons of chips. You don\u2019t have tons of sugary food. The vast majority of things are healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChanging eating habits, changing cooking habits, requires incentive,\u201d Peysakhovich said. He said he thinks that the double value coupons will inherently lead to healthier eating. \u201cWe can certainly \u2026try to tell people eat this and not that and you\u2019ll live longer. But saying let us match your 10 dollars with another 10 dollars\u2026.is much more powerful than just trying to tell somebody that you know what\u2019s good for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Urban
Kathleen Mueller, who works for local farm Urban Canopy, accepts a payment. She says especially in summer months, a significant fraction of her customers are SNAP recipients. (Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spreen also points out that the coupon program doesn\u2019t just benefit SNAP recipients; it helps stimulate the local economy by\u00a0bringing in a new income source for farmers.<\/p>\n

Snyder said she benefits from the new customers that the double value coupon program brings in. \u201cIt\u2019s people who would not normally be able to buy from me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Experimental Station found Snyder\u2019s observation to be true. According to surveys they conducted from 2013-2015, 92 percent of food stamp shoppers at their 61st street market said the double value coupon program was \u201cimportant\u201d or \u201cvery important\u201d to their decision to come to the market.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Mueller, who works at local farm Urban Canopy, said a significant fraction of their customers are SNAP recipients. With a subsidy from the City of Chicago, Urban Canopy is able to set up summer markets in food desert environments. Mueller admits that non-subsidized farms might struggle to make enough money in these markets. By doing community outreach in the form of canvassing and developing relationships with local churches, Mueller said she has seen the SNAP customer base growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an investment,\u201d said Spreen of the double value coupon program. \u201cSometimes you\u2019ve got to put money into investments to reap the rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim Snyder of Faith’s Farm sells her meat at a winter market in Back of the Yards. She says SNAP customers expand her consumer base. (Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Anna Boisseau Farmers markets might seem like an unaffordable option for those on a limited food stamp budget, but that\u2019s changing thanks to the double value coupon program. In most Chicago-based markets and some others across the state, food stamp recipients receive coupons to match up to $25 of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":37544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[585],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2016"],"yoast_head":"\nLegislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Anna Boisseau Farmers markets might seem like an unaffordable option for those on a limited food stamp budget, but that\u2019s changing thanks to the double value coupon program. In most Chicago-based markets and some others across the state, food stamp recipients receive coupons to match up to $25 of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-16T19:19:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"733\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"annaboisseau\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"annaboisseau\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/\",\"name\":\"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets - Medill Reports Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-16T19:19:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/04c6592ec2e0916b6a1aecc4e11f8f7f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":733,\"caption\":\"Kim Snyder of Faith's Farm sells her meat at a winter market in Back of the Yards. She says SNAP customers expand her consumer base. (Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\",\"name\":\"Medill Reports Chicago\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/04c6592ec2e0916b6a1aecc4e11f8f7f\",\"name\":\"annaboisseau\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a6667289bffc4b3fc292af99a2ab17bc1cdac5c8d32397f7a59d8c657656efb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a6667289bffc4b3fc292af99a2ab17bc1cdac5c8d32397f7a59d8c657656efb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"annaboisseau\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/annaboisseau\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets - Medill Reports Chicago","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets - Medill Reports Chicago","og_description":"By Anna Boisseau Farmers markets might seem like an unaffordable option for those on a limited food stamp budget, but that\u2019s changing thanks to the double value coupon program. In most Chicago-based markets and some others across the state, food stamp recipients receive coupons to match up to $25 of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) […]","og_url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/","og_site_name":"Medill Reports Chicago","article_published_time":"2016-03-16T19:19:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":733,"url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"annaboisseau","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"annaboisseau","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/","name":"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets - Medill Reports Chicago","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg","datePublished":"2016-03-16T19:19:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/04c6592ec2e0916b6a1aecc4e11f8f7f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/farmersmarket.jpg","width":1100,"height":733,"caption":"Kim Snyder of Faith's Farm sells her meat at a winter market in Back of the Yards. She says SNAP customers expand her consumer base. (Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/legislation-seeks-to-double-food-stamps-buying-power-at-farmers-markets\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Legislation Seeks to Double Food Stamps Buying Power at Farmers Markets"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/","name":"Medill Reports Chicago","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/04c6592ec2e0916b6a1aecc4e11f8f7f","name":"annaboisseau","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a6667289bffc4b3fc292af99a2ab17bc1cdac5c8d32397f7a59d8c657656efb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a6667289bffc4b3fc292af99a2ab17bc1cdac5c8d32397f7a59d8c657656efb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"annaboisseau"},"url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/annaboisseau\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}