2023 – Florida Lawmakers Reject Efforts to Expand the FAB Program

External Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/75_s9x9UoGk?si=75KCWyw4m8jDiB4d

Video Source: Florida Impact
Video Description: Market shoppers and employees discuss the benefits of the Fresh Access Bucks program

In 2023, the Florida Legislature rejected efforts to expand state funding for the Fresh Access Bucks (FAB) program, which is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded program in Florida that increases the purchasing power of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The FAB program provides SNAP participants an equal amount in free fruits and vegetables when they use their SNAP benefits at participating vendors, which may include farmers markets, farm stands, community-backed agriculture efforts, and mobile markets.   

In SNAP, participants often report that their ability to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables is affected by inadequate benefit allotments. Increasing the ability of SNAP participants to access healthy food is of particular importance to people of color, including Black Floridians, who experience health disparities and are more likely to face food insecurity and die from nutritional deficiencies than any other group in Florida.