North Carolinians living on low incomes who received a monthly fruit and vegetable benefit during the COVID-19 pandemic enjoyed the flexibility to choose more and a greater variety of nutritious foods during a time of profound food insecurity, according to a new study in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition.
Researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill interviewed participants in the Healthy Helping Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provided beneficiaries $40 per month to purchase fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables at a chain supermarket retailer. Funded by state allocations from the federal CARES Act and operated by Durham-based nonprofit Reinvestment Partners, the Healthy Helping program ran from June to December 2020 and was offered to adults enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) who were experiencing additional food insecurity during the pandemic.
Read The Full Article at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
