Fruit & Vegetable Voucher Program

There are two fruit and vegetable incentive programs aimed at increasing access to fresh produce in Cuyahoga County.

  1. Voucher Incentive Programs: Consumers are provided with vouchers or coupons to redeem at participating locations for free fruits and vegetables. In Ohio, these coupons are distributed by Produce Perks Midwest.
  2. Produce Prescription (PRx) Programs: Patients who meet specific criteria can receive a prescription for fruits and vegetables from their healthcare provider. Depending on the facility, patient eligibility may be based on chronic disease status or their lack of access to nutritious food. 

 

The Swetland Center is responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating the produce incentive programming and activities for the 2023-2028 REACH project. The activities include:

  • Increase awareness and utilization of Produce Path, an app that connects community members to farmers’ markets in their area.
  • Recruit local food justice leaders to participate in a 6-month fellowship program that ensures PRx programs in the County will reach those with the highest risk or burden of chronic diseases.
  • Connect PRx programs with local farmers and growers to support the local economy and provide patients with freshly harvested fruits and vegetables.
  • Help local healthcare providers identify funding sources to develop and implement PRx programs.
  • Convene local food justice leaders and other essential stakeholders in the HIP-Cuyahoga Nutrition Equity Committee to support PRx programming in Cuyahoga County. 

The goal of this strategy is to increase access to healthier foods by promoting produce incentive programs available in the County. We also aim to increase the number of people using these programs, as well as increase the number of sites that provide services. Over time, we hope the increased access to and utilization of incentive programs will improve community health behaviors (e.g., healthier food consumption) and reduce the rates of diet-related chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, obesity).