Get the Good Stuff is a new program that will offer SNAP users with a dollar-for-dollar match of eligible fruits, vegetables and beans at participating supermarkets, including Jamaica’s Fine Fare Supermarket.
For every $1 spent on eligible fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruits, vegetables and beans in SNAP benefits, shoppers will get $1 added to a program loyalty card. They will be able to use that card on the eligible food on their next purchase.
Shoppers can also earn up to $50 in incentives on their Get the Good Stuff card per day.
“Not only will this program make it easier for New Yorkers to purchase great fruits and vegetables, but they can buy them in a way that works best for them – fresh, frozen or even canned,” said Kate MacKenzie, director of the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. “It is important that program participants have these choices to make it easier to feed their families.”
The new program, which the Health Department recently announced, is available at three Fine Fare Supermarkets. They are located on 8945 163rd St. in Jamaica, Queens; and 459 East 149th St. and 3550 White Plains Road in the Bronx.
Three Guys, located on 6502 Fort Hamilton Pkwy. in Brooklyn, will also participate in the program when it launches in 2020.
“This is a great program and a win-win for shoppers and small businesses,” said Manny Diaz, the general manager of Fine Fare Supermarket in Jamaica. “New Yorkers who participate in SNAP have more money to buy fruits and vegetables, while neighborhood grocery stores like mine get new customers and sell more produce.”
People with SNAP benefits can sign up for the program at the participating stores’ customer service desk. Once enrolled, they will be able to earn incentives on SNAP fruits, vegetables and beans without added sugar, salt or fat.
The eligible food includes fresh fruits and vegetables; frozen fruits and vegetables without added sugar, salt or fat; canned fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils without added sugar, salt or fat; and dried beans and lentils.
“This program will help 1.5 million SNAP recipients, including families, seniors and individuals with disabilities, stretch their benefits to purchase healthy foods, so that no family has to choose between eating healthy and eating enough,” said Steve Banks, Department of Social Services commissioner. “We applaud this effort and look forward to its expansion.”
Get the Good Stuff, according to Health Department, is “one of the only fully electronic nutrition incentive programs in the nation.”
More than 1,850 people have enrolled in the program since June 2019 and more than $45,000 in incentives have been distributed, according to the Health Department.
