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A new initiative funded with a federal grant will help low-income families buy more fruit and vegetables at Utah farmers markets.

Utahns Against Hunger will receive a grant of $247,038 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will help food-stamp recipients make their benefits go further when they buy fresh produce, said Gina Cornia, executive director of the private, non-profit organization.

Under the "Utah Double-Up Food Bucks" program, the grant money will match up to $10 in food stamps spent at a farmers market. People who qualify for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can use their benefits card to redeem tokens at a farmer's market. Upon request, they will receive a maximum of $10 in matching money at the market. Those tokens can only be spent on fruits and vegetables.

A pilot program at the Downtown Farmer's Market last year was successful, Cornia said. Now it can be expanded statewide.

"We will help any interested farmers market pursue the certification to accept SNAP benefits, and implement the Utah Double-Up Food Bucks program," she said.

Preliminary evidence indicates that such incentives lead people to eat more fruits and vegetables, Cornia said. Utahns Against Hunger will team with Utah State University to gather more data on the phenomenon.

Darlene Barnes, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service regional administrator, praised the Utah program. "We're pleased that they will be able to build on the relationships they have forged with the markets and Utah's Department of Workforce Services to benefit low-income Utahns," she said.

About 89 percent of food-stamp beneficiaries are elderly, disabled, or under age 18, Cornia said.

"Food stamps are an investment in kids so when they reach school age, the are healthy and can learn," she said. "This is not charity, it's an investment in our community."

The grant to Utahns Against Hunger is part of $31 million in funding to local, state and national organizations to help SNAP participants.

Christoper Smart