Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (SNAP-Ed)
Eat Smart New York!
Objectives
To improve the likelihood that persons eligible for the SNAP will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.
Participation should result in:
- Increased frequency of eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products every day.
- Increased frequency of being physically active every day as part of a healthy lifestyle.
- Improved selection and consumption of healthy foods within a limited budget.
Audience
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 indicates that nutrition education activities should be directed to persons eligible for the SNAP. SNAP eligible are persons that meet criteria for participation in the SNAP as described in Federal legislation and regulations. FNS has categorized potential recipients of State SNAP-Ed activities. The three categories of SNAP-Ed recipients are:
- Certified Eligible - persons enrolled in means tested, income verifying programs, such as WIC, HEAP, Head Start, SSI, etc.
- Likely Eligible - persons recruited from approved grocery stores that redeem $50,000 each month or more in food assistance benefits.
- Potentially Eligible - persons who have been verified as program eligible on the MyBenefits web site.
Youth programming may also be conducted, if programs adhere to the policies defined in section 700 of the FNEC Policy and Procedure Manual and the education has a substantial parental component.
Education Messages
Education to program participants must focus on food and nutrition information. The topic areas which can be covered are;
- nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to improve diets (normal nutrition),
- planning for daily food needs,
- knowledge and practice in food selection and preparation,
- knowledge of financial management relating to family food budgets,
- use and care of equipment used for food preparation and storage,
- food safety,
- maternal and infant nutrition, and
- healthy lifestyles.
State History
New York State began providing SNAP-Ed in 1995. The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is the State SNAP Agency sponsoring the program in New York. Since beginning in New York, SNAP has grown from 5 Cornell Cooperative Extension Counties providing nutrition education through this contract to being located in 52 counties and New York City, as well as offered through the New York State Department of Health and Food Change.
