Louisiana DCFS introduces program to provide produce at lower cost

WEST CARROLL PARISH, La. (KNOE) - Louisiana now has a pilot program that offers an incentive to SNAP users to make healthier food choices.

Sammy Guillory with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services says that this trial program aims to provide easier access for SNAP users to make healthier choices

All SNAP users in Louisiana will be able to get a 30 percent bonus on produce—up to $25—but there’s a catch: they must purchase the fruits and vegetables at one of the 13 Walmart stores in Ascension, LaSalle, Sabine, Tangipahoa, Webster, and West Carroll parishes.

“This is an effort to reward SNAP recipients for purchasing healthy foods,” says Guillory.

In the first few hours of the program, Guillory says he saw an immediate impact. SNAP shoppers get the produce bonus when they buy fresh fruits and vegetables. That bonus can then be used to buy eligible groceries at any retailer that accepts EBT benefits.

“Around $3,000 had been earned, and of that $3,000, about $1,600 have been spent on other things. So the recipients, you know, are using it and the system’s working.”

Guillory says there may be an expiration date for the program, but he hopes it will help families across the state for as long as possible.

“We’re hoping to continue the program beyond the point where these funds from the grant run out. We’re anticipating that the program will last anywhere from six to nine months. Once the funds run out, we’re going to have to end the program unless we get additional funding, or unless our federal partner allows us to extend it in some kind of way,” says Guillory.

Guillory also says there is no enrollment required for this program—just use your EBT card at the participating Walmarts. He believes the program can make a difference in both budgets and nutrition choices.

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