Incentivizing Fruit and Vegetable Purchasers at Fresh Markets in Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans

Objective: Disparities in fruit and vegetable consumption have been observed across income and race-ethnicity and shown to be associated with both access to fresh food venues and price. This study assesses the feasibility of increasing produce consump­tion by incentivizing fruit and vegetable purchases at local markets.Design: We conducted analyses of a cross-sectional survey of program participants and point-of-sale reports on fruit and vegetable purchases at the fresh food markets.Participants: A total of 176 participants were enrolled in the “Veggie Dollars” pro­gram (VDP).Setting: Five fresh food markets in the Lower Ninth Ward (LNW) of New Orleans, Louisiana.Intervention: From January to July 2016, Sankofa, our community partner, recruited patrons at its markets into the VDP, a fresh food incentive program. Participants re­ceived coupons worth $4 per week for fruit and vegetables over a six-week period.Main Outcome Measures: Total monthly gross, VDP, and SNAP benefit sales at the markets measured program participation. A survey (N=96) assessed the demographics and fruit and vegetable purchasing practices of participants.Results: Participants were predominantly women (81%), African American (94%) and raising children at home (53%). Point-of-sales data indicated that VDP sales nearly doubled over the intervention period. Total market sales and SNAP benefit purchases also increased. The majority (63%) of VDP participants reported their produce purchas­es increased and 89% reported increasing their consumption of fruit and vegetables since entering the program.Conclusions: Monetary incentives were as­sociated with increased fruit and vegetable purchases at local fresh food markets in a low-income minority community.Ethn Dis. 2017;27(Suppl 1):287-294; doi:10.18865/ed.27.S1.287.