USDA Food and Nutrition Service Creating Healthy Food

USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Creating Healthy Food Access Eric Ratchford, SNAP Director, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

FNS serves people in all communities at every life stage • SNAP (formerly food stamps) • Child and Adult Care Food Program • School Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, After School Snacks) • The Emergency Food Assistance Program • Special Milk Program • Summer Food Service Program • WIC (women, infants and children) • Commodity Supplemental Food Program • Farmer’s Market Nutrition Programs • Food Distribution of Indian Reservations • USDA Foods • Disaster Assistance • Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program • Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

Agency Priorities �Ensure that all of America’s children have access to safe, nutritious food and balanced meals �Increase access to healthy food �Promote healthy diet and physical activity behaviors

Connecting Farmers to Families �Farm to School �Farm to Summer Feeding �Farm to Childcare �Increased Redemptions for SNAP, WIC, Farmers and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs at Farms and Farmers Markets

What is NAP? How does it work? �Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) assists low-income, eligible people to receive assistance for buying food �If qualified, receive EBT card (La Familia) to buy authorized foods �Currently, EBT benefits can be used at authorized retailers and non-authorized retailers (cash portion) �Retailers – stores, farmers markets, farmers, etc. – must apply to become NAP-authorized

NAP Participation �$1. 9 billion FY 2017 NAP Block Grant �As of 3 rd quarter FY 2016: � 680, 104 households � 1, 308, 384 recipients �$235 average benefit � 37% of total population in PR is receiving NAP � 11. 2% Unemployment rate as of June 2016 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Puerto Rico Family Markets Benefits: 1. Agricultural growth 2. Ensure marketing opportunities 3. Develop and maintain agricultural jobs 4. Develop new agro business opportunities 5. Develop the interaction and contact between farmers and NAP participants 6. Provide benefits to participants: • Fresh and quality food with a high nutrition value, locally grown and produced

PR Family Markets: Economical Impact

Questions? USDA FNS Contacts: Eric Ratchford, Director, SNAP, Mid-Atlantic Region �Tel: (609) 259 -5088 �Email: Eric. Ratchford@fns. usda. gov �Christine Berberich, Special Assistant to the SNAP Director �Tel: (609) 259 -5113 �Email: Christine. Berberich@fns. usda. gov �Carlos L. Ortiz-Medina, Caribbean Area Office Director �Tel: (787) 766 -5586 �Email: carlos. ortiz-medina@fns. usda. gov