Sugar Sweetened Beverage Restriction or Fruit and Vegetable Purchase Incentive in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) : Participant's Voice and Choice Behavior

Restrictions on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and incentives for fruit and vegetable (FV) purchases are recommended as policy options for Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) to promote healthy food consumption among low-income Americans in the United States. This mixed methods study assessed the perceptions of food choices among SNAP participants when exposed to two alternative SNAP policy options. Twelve focus groups that included a randomized food choice experiment were conducted in seven counties in Georgia, involving 73 participants; 71% SNAP participants and 29% SNAP-eligible non-participants. The qualitative data were analyzed using a Framework Matrix. ANCOVA between-subjects and within-subjects analyses showed the policy impact on food choice behavior. More participants had a favorable view towards incentivizing FV over restricting SSBs. Responses towards SSB restrictions were mixed; while some believed restrictions would reduce SSB purchases and promote healthier food behavior, others believed that people would still purchase SSBs using cash. Our quantitative results support the qualitative findings, demonstrating that FV purchases were significantly higher when participants received FV incentives compared to using their own cash. Our study’s qualitative and quantitative findings suggest that FV incentives and SSBs restrictions may prompt low-income Americans to increase FV purchases and buy fewer SSBs