Over the weekend, the state launched a new digital FreshConnect initiative that is designed to help boost the purchase of local farm products and bring the program to more families facing food insecurity. The pilot program launched Saturday at the Broome County Regional Farmers’ Market to provide eligible New Yorkers with a digital option to buy SNAP eligible farm products at the farmers’ market and streamline the redemption process for New York farmers participating in the program.
“The Digital FreshConnect pilot program is an efficient way to reach more consumers and make it easier to use SNAP benefits to buy fresh, local food from our farmers,” Governor Hochul said. “What’s even better is that this new digital option also makes it easier and more convenient for our farmers to participate in the program. Building on the improvements we just made to the FreshConnect program by increasing the amount of food that eligible New Yorkers could purchase with their SNAP dollars, this pilot program will encourage more SNAP participants to take advantage of the program and to visit our farmers’ markets to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and so many more New York farm products.”
The pilot program allowed the Broome County Regional Farmers’ market manager to load FreshConnect currency onto a consumer’s digital account. SNAP recipients using the FreshConnect program will be able to shop for eligible products at participating vendors and use a QR code to automatically deduct the purchase from their account. Loading of the currency will be capped at $50 per SNAP cardholder per day, which is consistent with the overall FreshConnect program and the FreshConnect Fresh2You initiative. In addition, consumers can make purchases in any increment and because of this new digital component, are not limited to the $2 increments of the physical FreshConnect coupons.
The app also modernizes the redemption process for farmers, saving them time and, with no physical coupons to redeem, making it easier for them to take part in the program. Using this app will also ensure farmers are receiving scheduled payments faster.
The pilot program is available to SNAP consumers at the Broome County Regional Farmers Market through the end of the year. The program could expand to other farmers’ markets where FreshConnect is accepted.
