Reducing the Geographic and Financial Barriers to Food Access: Perceived Benefits of Farmers' Markets and Monetary Incentives

Abstract

Consumers living in food deserts lack geographic access to food; those same consumers are often low-income and thus face additional constraints to purchasing foods. New programs address the geographic and financial aspects of food access. One program, administered by Wholesome Wave, pairs financial incentives and healthy food purchases. Analysis of consumer survey data showed statistical evidence that consumers from areas with low food access, who were also income constrained, were the most likely to perceive that their consumption was higher. The findings point to the promise of the combination of markets and incentives for reducing barriers to healthy food consumption.

Keywords:

• food access
• federal nutrition benefits
• farmers' markets
• food policy
• consumer perceptions
• incentives

Acknowledgments

The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.