Effectiveness of a SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Booth at Farmers Markets

Many farmers markets are now accepting federal nutrition assistance benefits through programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), allowing program participants to use their benefits for purchasing locally grown fruits and vegetables. Select farmers markets that accept SNAP benefits offer nutrition education through recipe testing, cooking demonstrations, and recipe cards for market patrons. Minimal data, however, have been collected to determine the effectiveness of the educational materials used at farmers markets. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) program through Utah State University Extension collected initial and follow-up data from farmers market patrons through directly administered questionnaires. These questionnaires measured the impact of the food samples, recipe cards, and produce information posters shared with SNAP and non-SNAP participants at six Utah farmers markets in 2014 and 2015. Farmers market vendors were also surveyed to determine the influence of the SNAP-Ed booth on food sales and market value. Results of this study show that SNAP participants (n=140) are significantly more likely (p