To establish a pilot program in the Department of Agriculture providing certain households with a monthly payment to purchase produce, to study the effect of such payments, and for other purposes.
The Fresh Bucks for Fresh Produce Act establishes a pilot program in the Department of Agriculture that awards grants to states to provide eligible households with monthly $60 payments to purchase fresh produce from local retailers like farmers markets, grocery stores, and farm stands. Eligible households must have incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median income, with households already receiving SNAP benefits automatically qualified. States receiving grants must set up programs using electronic benefits transfer cards to distribute payments, reach low-income and food-insecure communities, partner with local organizations and health clinics, and work to expand retailer participation through models like mobile markets and delivery services. The program requires the Department of Agriculture to study its effectiveness over five years, collecting data on food security, produce consumption, household demographics, and barriers to access, with initial results reported to Congress within 6 to 12 months and final recommendations due within 5 years. The pilot is designed to run for five years, with the law requiring geographic diversity by awarding grants to at least one state in each of five U.S. regions: Pacific Northwest, Northeast, Western, Midwest, and Southern.
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