Double Up Food Bucks: A win for families, farmers & communities

Fair Food Network’s Double Up Food Bucks program doubles the value of federal nutrition (SNAP or food stamps) benefits spent at participating markets and grocery stores, helping people bring home more healthy fruits and vegetables while supporting local farmers. The wins are three-fold: low-income consumers eat more healthy food, local farmers gain new customers and make more money, and more food dollars stay in the local economy. Watch a story about Double Up on NBC Nightly News!

History

The Double Up program began at five farmers markets in Detroit in 2009 and has since grown to more than 250 sites across Michigan and has become a model for communities nationwide. Double Up also expanded to grocery stores in 2013 in one of the first pilots in the nation.

In five years, it has benefited more than 300,000 low-income families and more than 1,000 farmers. Double Up has also been at the forefront of innovations in healthy food incentives including spearheading new transaction systems at farmers markets and grocery stores.

The Double Up Model

Double Up is the first statewide incentive program to be rolled out with a uniform design, central administration, and local implementation. It has proven to be successful in rural, urban, and suburban communities alike. The program is rooted in partnerships—both with local partners and key statewide efforts.

The 2014 Farm Bill included $100 million over five years to support the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grants program, a new national healthy produce effort informed by Double Up’s strong track record in Michigan.

Fair Food Network has translated the Double Up program into a toolkit and is now working with partners from Arizona to Oklahoma to Utah bring this successful model to their communities. Learn more about Double Up programs nationwide.