SNAP participants' purchasing patterns at a food co-op during the COVID-19 pandemic: A preliminary analysis

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dc.contributor.authorParker, Molly K.en
dc.contributor.authorHedrick, Valisa E.en
dc.contributor.authorHedges, Samen
dc.contributor.authorBorst, Elizabethen
dc.contributor.authorJohnson, Meredith Ledlieen
dc.contributor.authorBest, Maureen McNamaraen
dc.contributor.authorMisyak, Sarah A.en
dc.coverage.countryUnited Statesen
dc.coverage.stateVirginiaen
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-09T19:43:33Zen
dc.date.available2021-12-09T19:43:33Zen
dc.date.issued2021-04-01en
dc.description.abstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected the food system, increasing barriers to food access and exacerbating food insecurity across the U.S. The Virginia state government initiated a stay-at- home order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, the Virginia Fresh Match (VFM) Nutrition Incentive Network partnered with food retail outlets to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants point-of-purchase incentives (e.g., Double Up Food Bucks, SNAP Match), which function as matching discounts on fresh fruits and vegetables (F/V). These can enable participants to increase their purchasing power and potentially reduce food insecurity. In response to COVID-19, VFM removed the limit on incentive discounts (previously $101) to further incentivize the purchase of fresh F/V by SNAP participants. This study sought to characterize the purchasing patterns of SNAP participants at a food co-operative (co-op) partnered with VFM before and during the Virginia stay-at-home order. A total of 654 transactions at the co-op were included. Independent t-tests were utilized to determine differences before and during the order. The results indicated a significant increase in the mean incentive discount received during the order (pre-shutdown=$3.95, inter-shutdown=$5.01, p=0.035); however, simultaneously there was a decrease in the mean number of fresh F/V purchased (pre-shutdown=3.08, inter-shutdown=2.39, p=0.015). Although F/V purchases decreased, the presence of unlimited point-of-purchase incentives at the food co-op may have helped prevent a greater decline in fresh F/V purchases and helped increase access to fresh F/V in this population during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.en
dc.description.notesThis study was funded by a Food Insecurity and Nutrition Incentive program grant through the National Institute for Food and Agriculture of the USDA (USDA-FINI-006104).en
dc.description.sponsorshipFood Insecurity and Nutrition Incentive program grant through the National Institute for Food and Agriculture of the USDA [USDA-FINI-006104]en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationParker, M. K., Hedrick, V. E., Hedges, S., Borst, E., Ledlie Johnson, M., Best, M. M., & Misyak, S. A. (2021). SNAP participants’ purchasing patterns at a food co-op during the COVID- 19 pandemic: A preliminary analysis. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(2), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.043en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.043en
dc.identifier.eissn2152-0801en
dc.identifier.issn2152-0798en
dc.identifier.issue2en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/106896en
dc.identifier.volume10en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectNutrition Incentive Programsen
dc.subjectFood Systemen
dc.subjectFood Insecurityen
dc.subjectFruitsen
dc.subjectVegetablesen
dc.subjectSNAPen
dc.subjectCOVID-19en
dc.subjectPandemicen
dc.titleSNAP participants' purchasing patterns at a food co-op during the COVID-19 pandemic: A preliminary analysisen
dc.title.serialJournal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Developmenten
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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