Voucher Incentive Programs

What are Voucher Incentive Programs?

Voucher incentive programs for fruits and vegetables provide vouchers, coupons, or cash incentives to consumers to use at the point of purchase. These vouchers can be physical, such as paper or wood coins, or electronic, such as loyalty or debit cards.

Incentives may be redeemed at participating food pantries, farmers markets, brick-and-mortar or online grocery stores, and mobile markets. Vouchers may also be used in community-supported agriculture (CSA). A CSA enables people buy a subscription or “share” of a farm’s produce. This allows growers and consumers to share the risks and benefits of food production.

This page answers frequently asked questions about fruit and vegetable voucher incentives. This program is an evidence-based approach to improving fruit and vegetable consumption and nutrition security. 

Double Up Food Bucks

Double Up Food Bucks is a voucher incentive program that helps people in need get twice the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. Click here to view our Double Up Food Bucks page or watch the video below to learn more.

Which Fruits and Vegetables Should Be Included?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans identifies fresh, canned, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables as essential parts of a healthy diet. When designing or implementing these programs, consider:

  • Cultural preferences for certain foods.
  • Unique medical needs that affect food choices.
  • Nutritional value of the food.
  • Environmental and community impact of where food is obtained.

Community members frequently identify fresh fruits and vegetables as hard to access. Including fresh produce in fruit and vegetable programs can support local growers by connecting community members to their local and regional food system.

Canned, dried, and frozen fruits and vegetables are often more widely available, less expensive, and have a longer shelf life than their fresh counterparts. Therefore, these forms can also be promoted alongside fresh fruits and vegetables. Encourage providing options that do not include unhealthy ingredients such as added sugars, sodium, and certain fats.

What Community Food Sites Can Work With These Programs?

Food sites are places where individuals participating in fruit and vegetable programs can purchase or obtain fruits and vegetables. A variety of food sites may be part of these programs. They can include:

  • Charitable food systems, such as produce distribution sites and food pantries.

  • Food retail sites, such as supermarkets, grocery stores, farmers markets, mobile markets, convenience stores, and corner stores.

Site selection should include community input. Also consider the site’s capacity to stock high-quality, affordable, and culturally preferred produce. During the selection process:

  • Consider sites that employ members of the priority communities being served.
  • Consider partnerships with food businesses owned by members of the community.
  • Ensure that the site will meet the needs of community members most at risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

  • When possible, choose sites that are easy and safe to get to by walking or public transit. For example, determine whether the program refers patients to community-based sites versus providing food at a clinic or hospital.

What Are Some Common Challenges?

Community members may be skeptical of new programs because of previous experiences with other efforts to improve food access.

It is therefore important to develop fruit and vegetable programs with community input.

  • Ensure recruitment and fair pay of staff from priority populations.
  • Provide training, such as trauma-informed approaches, to staff and partners.

Additional operational challenges include:

  • Addressing stigma, such as that of participation in these programs.
  • Preventing confusion about eligibility or concerns about participation.
  • Addressing information technology (IT) issues such as:
    • Availability of electronic benefits transfer (EBT) equipment at point of sale (POS).
    • Incorporation of incentive redemption systems, payment systems, and electronic medical record systems where applicable.
  • Incorporating medical coding of screening, diagnosis of food insecurity, and payment for these programs. Keep in mind that not all insurers pay for these foods.
  • Supporting business processes of participating retailers such as training needs and throughput needs of cashiers, IT systems, facilities for cooking classes, and more.