Due to the high costs of living, people are forced to make choices between what’s nutritious and what’s affordable, and this is true for a wide range of Hawaii residents, from young families juggling multiple jobs to kūpuna living on a fixed income. When the choice is between putting healthy food on the table and paying medical bills or covering rent, it’s not truly a choice at all.

To address this issue, food retailers and farmers markets (in Hawaiʻi and nationwide) have been participating in a growing trend: offering dollar-for-dollar incentives when shoppers purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables using their SNAP benefits (the program formerly known as “food stamps”).

Often called “Double Up Food Bucks” (“Double Up,” for short), these nutrition incentive programs are beneficial in a number of ways. Most fundamentally, they help stretch food budgets, which are often tightest at the end of the month, when benefits run low. Hunger is a major barrier to self-sufficiency, and SNAP benefits can be a stepping stone out of poverty for families who otherwise would not be able to pay for things like medicine or reliable transportation to work.