The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will invest over $34 million to support healthy eating and increased food access for low-income families through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).
NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille said programs like GusNIP play a key role in helping families purchase and eat more fruits and vegetables with a chance for better health outcomes year-round, a press release Nov. 24 said.
“We want to ensure all Americans have access to healthy, affordable, and fresh food,” Castille said in the press release. “As we approach the holiday season, we should be mindful that over 13 million American families are food insecure. USDA continues to use every resource at our disposal to bolster both food and nutrition security for these vulnerable Americans.”
The money comes as a part of NIFA’s Nutrition Incentive Projects and Produce Prescription Projects, which encourage low-income and other at-risk communities to consume more fruits and vegetables, the release said. The funding will support 39 projects including $22.7 million in 18 Nutrition Incentive Projects, $7.4 million in 11 Nutrition Incentive Supplemental Funding grants and $4.5 million in 10 produce prescription project grants.
Previously funded projects include the New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association, the Community Farm Alliance’s Kentucky Double Dollars Program and Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the release said. GusNIP also funded the Share Our Strength program, an initiative designed to provide produce prescriptions to 1,250 households with children at risk for obesity.
Nonprofit organizations and government agencies are eligible to apply for GusNIP projects and the GusNIP produce prescription project, according to the NIFA website.
