With $4.3 million in support from UnitedHealthcare and the USDA, the AARP Foundation and participating grocers and farmers markets have launched the Fre$h Savings program in Tennessee and Mississippi, which aims to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients live healthier lives by making fresh food more affordable.
The program, which debuted in late 2015, provides coupons for 50 percent off the future purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables whenever SNAP recipients buy fresh produce at select Kroger stores in West Tennessee and participating farmers markets in Memphis, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga and Knoxville.
As noted in United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings (see page 1), Tennessee ranks among the worst in the nation for the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Tennessee also ranks 47th in the nation in food insecurity among seniors, with approximately 21 percent of Tennessee seniors considered food insecure.
