Incentivizing Nutrition

Can people be incentivized to eat healthier?

According to the US Department of Agriculture, yes, they can.

Under the 2008 farm law, the USDA launched a pilot program. In 13-months, the USDA observed 55,000 households receiving food stamps in 2012 in Hampden County, Massachusetts, the state’s poorest area. 7,500 families were randomly assigned to be eligible to receive 30 cents back for every federal food stamp dollar spent on certain produce. The results showed that 70% of low-income families in the study said they “felt that fruits and vegetables had become more affordable," according to the USDA.

This program showcased that receiving just a small amount of money helped lower-income individuals improve their shopping habits to buy healthier, better quality foods. It found that people on food stamps who received such incentives also ate 25% more produce than those who did not. In other words, this is equivalent to about an extra fifth of a cup of fruits and vegetables each day, which adds up to 6 extra cups, or 1.42 liters–in just a month–of healthier, quality foods and produce.

These findings show much promise in terms of incentives allowing populations of lower-income individuals to be more nutritious and eat healthier–which could ultimately improve lifestyles and potentially reduce obesity rates. The high costs of healthier and better quality produce cause a significant financial struggle in low-income families as processed food tends to be a lot cheaper. This causes families to struggle to be nutritious and healthy due to financial barriers. Therefore, to provide more food for their family, they may choose the processed food options over the healthier, fresher produce.

Ultimately, this study shows the benefits that can occur if incentives–or more specifically, small monetary incentives–can have in increasing the nutrition of individuals, specifically those living in lower-income households.


Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-health-foodstamps/usda-study-shows-incentives-can-help-poor-eat-healthier-foods-idUSL1N0FU1AK20130724