GusNIP grant programs receive more than $52m in funding to support nutrition and healthy food access

20-Nov-2023 - Last updated on 20-Nov-2023 at 12:46 GMT

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The funding will aid initiatives within three National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) competitive grant programs that make up the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), including include Nutrition Incentive (NI), Produce Prescription and the Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation and Information (NTAE) Center, which are funded through opportunities provided by the 2018 Farm Bill.

Established in 2019, GusNIP granted over $270m to 197 projects across the U.S. to improve food and nutrition security for underserved and economically distressed communities.

“GusNIP has provided over $270 million in funding to nearly 200 projects throughout the U.S. since its 2019 launch and participants are consistently reporting increased fruit and vegetable intake as a result,” expressed Dr. Manjit Misra, director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in a statement.

“Investments like this enable people to afford and eat healthy fresh fruits and vegetables so they don’t have to make a choice between healthy eating and cheaper less healthier options,” expressed Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, chief scientist and under secretary for research, education and economics, USDA, in a statement.

According to the USDA, GusNIP’s competitive grant programs will allocate a mandatory increase in annual funding from $45 million to $56 million between 2019 through 2023.

USDA has not yet commented on how the Senate-approved Farm Bill extension through Sept. 30, 2024, will impact future funding for GusNIP and other supplemental food programs.

Nineteen recipients have been granted a total of $41.8 million in funding through the GusNIP-NI program. The program’s objective is to bolster fruit and vegetable purchases among SNAP-eligible households by offering incentives at the point of purchase.

The 11 recipients which received a total of $5.2 million in funding through the Produce Prescription program will focus on determining the impact of fresh fruit and vegetable prescriptions in their communities. The program’s goal is to reduce food insecurity and health care costs by increasing access and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The NTAE Center program granted one awardee, Children’s Health Network (CHN) in in Omaha, Neb., with $7 million in funding. The program will provide training, technical assistance, evaluation and informational support services to support pediatric care within CHN's network.