by Dan Burgess
The City of Boston has rolled out a new program that will make locally grown produce more affordable to residents who are enrolled in the city’s food stamp program. The program uses vouchers, known as Bounty Bucks, and will double the value of food stamps at local farmer’s market, up to $20.00 per person. Details of the program were outlined in a recent Boston Globe article here.
This program is an excellent policy initiative from Mayor Menino and, despite some of the ridiculous negative comments on the Globe’s online article, has the potential to have very positive effects for Greater Boston residents. As I covered here and here, developing a regional food system is vitally important for our state and is common sense policy. This Bounty Bucks program rightly advances this goal and will allow residents who need it most to purchase more healthy, locally grown food while continuing to fortify farmer’s markets in the Boston community.
According to the Globe article, “... officials hope the program will flourish this season by allowing low-income residents to purchase -- when combined with food stamps -- up to $120,000 worth of locally grown fruits and vegetables.” This would be a great start for the Boston community and, with the quality of the produce offered at our farmers’ markets, it should not be a problem.
This latest initiative is another positive step forward towards a sustainable food system in Boston and we look forward to seeing the next policy initiatives that come from Beacon Hill.
To find a farmer’s market in your Boston community (including MA Turnpike Farmer’s Markets), click here.
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