Fresh and Affordable: The relationship between SNAP and farmers markets in Texas
- angelica rodriguez
- Jun 30, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 11, 2023
By Angelica Rodriguez
arodriguez10291@gmail.com
When most people think of SNAP benefits, they typically imagine having to buy low quality produce at big box stores. In recent years there has been a noticeable increase in grocery costs as well as other essentials such as gas and rent. Rising prices directly impacts SNAP recipients, making it harder to afford a balanced and nutritious diet. Now more than ever, low-income individuals and their families are in need of access to fresh fruits and vegetables without sacrificing other basic needs. Luckily, more and more farmers markets are accepting SNAP benefits as a way to provide better access to fresh produce.
Applying for SNAP in Texas
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP is a federally funded program aiming to assist low-income families with buying food from their local grocery stores. In Texas the program is administered by the Health and Human Services (HHSC). Eligibility is income based and the amount of aid received depends on the size of the household. Applicants must provide income and other personal details as well as documentation to prove their eligibility. The application can be submitted online, in person or via mail. Applicants must also go through an interview with a representative at the HHSC.
Typically, the HHSC will process applications within 30 days and will decide whether the applicant is approved or denied. If approved, participants receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which functions like a prepaid debit card. Recipients will be given a monthly allowance loaded onto the card and they will be able to purchase eligible food items at grocery stores or participating farmers markets.
SNAP benefits are limited to 3 month periods for individuals without children. Those with children receive 6 months of benefits before having to complete a renewal application.
The Food and Nutrition Service has offered various methods of relief for SNAP participants, such as emergency allotments, waivers and flexibilities, and extensions for the application process.
"The Food and Nutrition Service granted HHSC a waiver to allow households to receive SNAP benefits without completing an interview during the COVID-19 public health emergency," said Jennifer Ruffcorn, Assistant Press Officer at the HHS Office of Communications. "That waiver was approved through May 2023. We requested approval from FNS to continue to waive interview requirements through May 2024 to assist with the increased workload that is anticipated as part of continuous Medicaid unwinding efforts, but have not gotten a response.”
In February of this year, FNS released a memorandum to extend the Quality Control face-to-face interview waiver through September 30, 2024.
Difficulties in the SNAP system
Researchers for a study conducted by UTHealth formed focus groups and asked participants questions about the application process for SNAP benefits. A majority of participants expressed frustration over the length and difficulty of the process. Additionally, participants also voiced they felt as though the representative conducting their interview or the SNAP benefits advisor "does not care" about them.
“In Texas, there are a lot of people who are on SNAP. However, there is a crazy percentage of people who are eligible, but that are not enrolled," said Aida Nielson, research coordinator at UTHealth. "Sometimes if you are a Spanish speaker, the Spanish translations are not done properly. You have to have an interview, but it’s at a set time, and if you cannot make that time it could take three more months. The whole application process is just mind blowing.”
The HHSC is required to provide interpreter and translation services for non-English speakers. Applicants may indicate on their application or during their interview that they would like interpreter services.
“Offices can utilize bilingual staff to assist with the application or conduct the interview, or work with local community organizations to provide interpretation assistance," said Ruffcorn. “HHSC also employs the use of a language line to connect non-English speakers with a translator to assist with the application process.”
Lack of access to a computer, printer or other technology can further delay the application process. Many participants revealed they know SNAP eligible individuals who discarded their applications mid-way because of the grueling process.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 61% of SNAP participants reported the affordability of healthy foods was the most common barrier to achieving a balanced diet throughout the month. Many participants expressed their concern over not receiving enough benefits to cover the cost of monthly grocery expenses.
For a few years, families were granted some relief from worrying about how to afford groceries during the pandemic. Since April 2020, Texans received more than $9.3 billion in benefits. During the emergency period the USDA approved the HHSC to extend the maximum amount of SNAP benefits to recipients based on household size, and all households were given a minimum of $95 in emergency allotments.
Those emergency benefits were terminated in March of this year. On January 5th, Governor Gregg Abbott and the HHSC issued a press release announcing the extension of emergency SNAP benefits for January 2023. A month later it was established that February would be the last month eligible households would receive those extra benefits.
Farm Fresh in a SNAP
More and more farmers markets across Texas are accepting SNAP and EBT to purchase locally grown produce and other eligible food such as eggs, bread and meat.
According to the USDA, Texas ranked second in the U.S. in 2020 for SNAP benefits issued with $6.3 billion. The total includes $5 billion of regular SNAP benefits as well as an additional $1.3 billion of emergency COVID-19 relief funds. However, Texas also ranked 47th for SNAP funds used at farmers markets.
In 2022, the Texas Center for Local Food launched a campaign, A Fresh Look at Your Farmers Market, to promote farmers markets that accept SNAP benefits.
Double Up Food Bucks
SNAP incentive programs have become popular at farmers markets, giving participants the opportunity to increase the value of SNAP dollars when they are spent in specific ways, such as on local produce. One notable program, Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), is able to match fruit and vegetable purchases dollar-for-dollar at participating locations. This means participants are able to receive twice as much fresh produce.
Double Up Food Bucks was started in Detroit, Michigan in 2009 by the Fair Food Network. Since then, the program has spread across the country and has granted easier access to fresh produce at participating locations.
“They are in 28 states in the U.S., including Texas,” said Nielson. “Another non-profit in Austin called Sustainable Food Center is in charge of Double Up Food Bucks in Texas and is trying to expand the program to different grocery stores and different farmers markets that accept SNAP. It’s a really cool program that I wish more people knew about, especially more SNAP people.”
Individuals who receive SNAP benefits are automatically eligible for DUFB, no enrollment required.
"There’s really no intake process," said Mia Burger, Data and Evaluation Manager at Sustainable Food Center. “We know it’s a really onerous process to apply for SNAP in the first place and continue to re-enroll. We just need their SNAP card to swipe it for the transaction so we know the number of households served, but we don’t collect a lot of other information about the SNAP recipients.”
All produce vendors at both SFC farmers markets in Austin who are eligible to participate in SNAP and DUFB are required to accept those benefits. In 2022, there were 45 farmers and 1,756 food access customers participating in DUFB in the Austin area.
“It is really important to us that anyone who can take those benefits does take them,” said Burger. “We want shoppers using SNAP to have full access to the markets.”
Pearl Farmers Market
Recently named one of the Top 10 Farmers markets in the nation by USA Today, the Pearl Farmers Market houses various vendors who grow, harvest and raise the products they sell. Customers will find products unique to South Texas. The market takes place from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. every weekend, rain or shine. Saturdays are reserved for local farmers selling fresh produce and meat, while Sundays are focused on local artisans selling unique home goods, plants, art, and more.
Not only does the Pearl Farmers Market accept SNAP benefits, they will also match up to $30 on fruits and vegetables through their partnership with Double Up Food Bucks
"One of the first things that I noticed whenever I started here was that we didn’t take SNAP, and a lot of customers were asking about it," said Samantha Pappas, manager of Pearl Farmers Market. "The process of applying to offer SNAP benefits was confusing and long, not gonna lie.”
First, Pappas had to go through the USDA to obtain a license. She expressed that there was not a lot of information available through the website or people to contact for questions. Then, she came across Double Up Food Bucks after visiting markets in Austin.
“Double Up basically taught me everything about SNAP in general, more so than the USDA did,” said Pappas. “They gave me all of the forms and everything to use to make it super easy to have it in this market. Working with Double Up was the easiest process, getting into the SNAP program was not.”
The Pearl has many regular customers who use SNAP and participate in DUFB and have also received new people as well. In March, the market recorded $700 in SNAP redemption combined with Double Up being spent around the market for local produce and other eligible items.
However, there has recently been a change in the number of customers using SNAP and receiving benefits at the weekly markets.
“We have seen a dip in SNAP recipients in the last two months,” said Pappas. “It could possibly be due to SNAP benefits being cut earlier in the year, but we hope to get our numbers back up again.”
Moving Forward
Regarding the future of DUFB, it’s all hands on deck in order to spread the word about the program. The goal is to get every SNAP authorized farmers market and grocery store in Texas to offer DUFB benefits.
“Currently I’m on a project drafting up interview and survey questions mainly to ask people on SNAP how easy it was to use Double Up Food Bucks, if they know about the program and how they learned about it,” said Nielson. “We’re working on getting this feedback to help the retailers who are thinking of participating in Double Up Food Bucks. We also want to help with marketing the program more to help with funding to help expand it even further and get it in more grocery stores.”
Most importantly, it is crucial to get the word out to more SNAP recipients that they have access to these benefits.
“It's important for people regardless of income level to be able to make those choices to get food that is nutritious and is conveniently located, which is why we’re trying to push this expansion,” said Burger. “We know that the local food movement has been historically not inclusive to people who don't have a certain income level or who are not white or are not in urban areas.”
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