State officials promote good nutrition

Officials from New York's agriculture and health departments visited the Rochester Public Market Thursday to enumerate the ways in which the state is making fresh, healthy, New York-grown foods available to Rochester residents, especially low-income residents who don't always have access to fresh, healthy foods.

Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball highlighted several initiatives of the FreshConnect Farmers' Market Program. FreshConnect helps high-need residents have better access to fresh, healthy foods.

This year there is $60,000 earmarked for veterans to purchase fruits and vegetables at farm stands and farmers markets. That is $10,000 more than last year, when this incentive was introduced. The checks will be distributed at veterans centers starting in July.

Ball also announced more than $50,000 for farmer market manager certification training. The curriculum, to be introduced this fall in partnership with the Farmers Market Federation of New York, will help managers of the state's approximately 500 farmers markets offer EBT SNAP benefits for shoppers and establish or improve food safety protocols, Ball explained.

Meanwhile acting state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker announced that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has just increased the amount that participants will receive for buying fruits and vegetables. Monthly checks will have an additional $4.

Zucker also touted several ongoing initiatives that help New Yorkers boost their fruit and vegetable consumption, such as the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which provides checks that 270,000 WIC participants can spend at eligible farmers markets each summer and fall.

Ball and Zucker's visit was part of the city's celebration of National Nutrition Month and the 2015 farmers market season.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren reminded the press conference attendees that the Friends of the Rochester Public Market's EBT Market Token Program reached $619,000 in fresh, healthy food purchases last year, which makes up 3 percent of all SNAP benefits used at farmers markets across the country.

The program allows SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) beneficiaries to use their electronic benefits cards to receive wooden tokens that can be used like cash at the Public Market.

KMILTNER@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com@KarenMiltner