Sponsors (19)
Expanding incentive eligibility to include frozen fruits, vegetables, and legumes increases year‑round access to nutritious food for low‑income families and strengthens retailer participation, but raises public expenditures and creates administrative burdens for retailers and program operators.
Low-income households and SNAP participants can use incentives year‑round to buy fresh frozen fruits, vegetables, and legumes, improving access to nutritious food and stretching limited grocery budgets.
Program operators and participating retailers can maintain year‑round incentive programs by stocking frozen produce, reducing seasonal gaps in healthy-food availability and supporting consistent retailer participation.
Taxpayers and local budgets may face higher costs if expanded eligible items increase incentive redemptions or administrative needs for running the program.
Small retailers and program administrators may incur implementation and compliance costs to label, track, and validate 'fresh frozen' items and legumes for incentive eligibility.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Expands the Gus Schumacher nutrition incentive program to include fresh frozen fruits and vegetables year-round and adds legumes as eligible foods.
Official title: To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to provide families year-round access to nutrition incentives under the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 3, 2025 by Jasmine Crockett · Last progress March 3, 2025
Expands the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program to allow incentives to be redeemed year-round by permitting distribution of fresh frozen fruits and vegetables alongside fresh produce, and adds legumes to the list of eligible foods. It also updates program language to require the descriptive phrase “fresh or fresh frozen fruits, vegetables, and legumes” wherever the statute previously referenced only fresh produce. The changes authorize a broader set of eligible foods and delivery options for nutrition incentives, aiming to increase access to nutritious items (including shelf-stable frozen options and legumes) for program participants and to support vendors who supply those products.