Sugar sweetened beverage restriction or fruit and vegetable purchase incentive in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Participant's voice and choice behavior

Thapa, K., Rajbhandari-Thapa, J., Hanks, A., Lee, J. S., & Zhen, C. (2024). Sugar sweetened beverage restriction or fruit and vegetable purchase incentive in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Participant’s voice and choice behavior. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 19(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2023.2179448

This mixed methods study assessed the perceptions of food choices among SNAP participants and SNAP-eligible non-participants when exposed to two alternative SNAP policy options: restrictions on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and incentives for fruit and vegetable (FV) purchases. Twelve focus groups that included a randomized food choice experiment were conducted in seven counties in Georgia, involving 73 participants. Participants had a favorable view toward incentivizing FV; responses toward SSB restrictions were mixed. FV incentives were associated with greater spending on FV and lower spending on SSBs, and SSB restriction was associated with lower spending on SSBs. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.