Forty-three awards make up a $20.7 million Produce Prescription Programme investment through USDA’s American Rescue Plan funding for the GusNIP programme
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an investment of $59.4 million to support the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Programme’s (GusNIP) Produce Prescription and Nutrition Incentive programmes designed to encourage families and individuals to eat more healthfully by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
GusNIP programmes strive to improve dietary health through increased consumption of fresh produce, improve individual and household food security, and reduce health care use and associated costs. GusNIP Nutrition Incentive programmes provide incentives at the point of purchase among income-eligible consumers participating in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP) and income-eligible consumers participating in other USDA nutrition assistance programmes. Produce Prescriptions leverage medical assistance programmes to provide “prescriptions” from a healthcare provider for fresh fruits and vegetables.
By bringing together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems, GusNIP projects help foster understanding to improve the health and nutrition status of participating households, facilitate growth in underrepresented communities, and collect and aggregate data to identify and improve best practices on a broad scale.
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