A produce prescription program for patients with low incomes in North Carolina resulted in increased produce purchases

Objectives

To assess if participation in a North Carolina produce prescription program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants with diet-sensitive health conditions (SuperSNAP) is associated with changes in purchase composition and spending source.

Methods

This study used loyalty-card transaction data (October 2019–April 2022). We applied a linear mixed-effects model with overlap weights to perform a difference-indifferences analysis of purchases by SuperSNAP program enrollees compared to the control group.

Results

The sample included 1440 SuperSNAP shoppers and 45,851 control shoppers. Compared to shoppers only on SNAP, SuperSNAP shoppers spent $82.98 (95% CI (75.6, 90.3), p-value <0.001) more per month, $76.09 (95% CI (69.4, 82.8), pvalue <0.001) of which were spent strictly on food and beverage products. Among SuperSNAP shoppers, out of the $40 SuperSNAP benefit each month, an estimated $34.86 (95% CI (33.9, 35.8), p-value <0.001) of it was spent on fruits and vegetables.

Conclusions

This study shows the promise of targeted produce prescription programs for SNAP participants in encouraging shifts in purchase composition.