Model and Strategy
It can be expensive to eat well, especially for low-income families. SPUR’s Double Up Food Bucks program addresses this barrier by making healthy food more affordable. In doing so, we aim to reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition for low-income families and children while also supporting California's agricultural economy.
Double Up Food Bucks provides a subsidy, in the form of matching dollars for produce purchases, to low-income families. When a customer purchases California grown produce with their CalFresh benefits (formerly known as food stamps) at a participating grocery store, they receive a matching coupon (up to $10/day) that they can use for a discount on any fruits and vegetables the next time they shop at the store.
Our evaluation results show that the program is improving healthy food access for low-income families and children. We are now focused on expanding Double Up and, ultimately, making it a permanent supplement to the state’s CalFresh program.
Impact
Low-income children in the Bay Area – and across California - face numerous barriers to eating well. For some parents and their kids, finding a store offering a quality selection of groceries can be difficult. For others, knowing how to cook and how to ensure a healthy diet is a hurdle. But, for many, the biggest obstacle is cost. Foods high in calories and low in nutrients are often cheap and filling. In comparison, fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious items are relatively expensive.
While there are numerous ways to make healthy food more affordable, SPUR has focused on healthy food incentives programs because they work, they can scale, and they are politically popular. The state already has an efficient infrastructure for delivering millions of dollars in food assistance to low-income families. Amidst national debates over the future of federal food assistance program, incentive programs have received bipartisan support. That’s true in DC and in Sacramento. And because California’s farmers grow fruits and vegetables year round, we have the potential to form a political coalition that would support funding incentive programs statewide in a way no other state could consider. That is a unique opportunity. And by demonstrating the success and scalability of Double Up Food Bucks, we aim to make sure the state takes advantage of it.
Affordability isn’t the only obstacle to childhood nutrition. But it’s fundamental. And increasing families’ purchasing power for food would go a long way to reducing hunger and improving childhood nutrition.
Leadership
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Eli Zigas
Director, Food & Agriculture Program
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Gabriel Metcalf
Executive Director