Pilot program aims to get more fresh food to the poor

by Alex Forster, Minnesota Public Radio

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- This month marks the start of a new pilot program designed to get more fresh fruits and vegetables to Minnesota's low-income families.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services initiative, part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will give families who spend $5 on fresh food an additional $5 to spend on healthy produce.

DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson said that participating grocery stores will also offer cooking demonstrations, like one recently in Crystal.

"We learned how to make a spinach and strawberry salad using spinach and strawberries you could buy right there, at Almsted's Fresh Market," she said. "And explained how, with a little oil and vinegar, and with a little Minnesota grown honey, you could have a great salad."

The program benefits both low-income families and local grocers in three cities around the state.

"I think it's a win-win," Jesson said. "Getting more of our low-income families that are on SNAP to buy healthy foods. Hopefully increase some of the volume at these grocery stores that serve low-income neighborhoods. I think, ultimately, if we have healthy people, it's a benefit for all of our state."

Jesson said she hopes to expand the program, which is part of a larger state effort to put healthier food on the table for low-income families in Minnesota.