These are the policy priorities identified by the members of the Detroit Food and Fitness Collaborative.

Please see http://detroitfoodandfitness.com/ for more information

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The Detroit Food & Fitness Collaborative is one of nine Food and Fitness communities in the United States. A major component of developing healthy communities is informing and engaging policy leaders around issues critical to our work.

The farm bill is just one piece of legislation that we consider critical to ensuring our work is successful, and the DFFC has worked with Metro Detroit organizations and residents to develop four priorities that we recommend for inclusion in the next farm bill.

These priorities were determined using the following criteria: 
(a) Creates jobs and grows the economy 
(b) Backed by strong statistical support 
(c) Demonstrates urban and rural linkages. 
  
The DFFC priorities are as follows: 

1) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): 
A. DFFC urges the nation to support SNAP recipient families by maintaining current program benefit levels.

SNAP is a fundamental part of the nation’s safety net for people facing hardship.  Last year, it helped over 40 million Americans put food on the table. Because recent Congressional actions have re-allocated over $14 billion that were set aside for SNAP, the monthly benefit for a family of four will be reduced by an estimated $59, starting in 2013. In Michigan, where the average cost of a meal is two dollars and thirty cents, this represents 26 meals every month that a family will need to find somewhere else – or go without. SNAP also has an economic multiplier-effect that benefits the agriculture, wholesale, and grocer/retail food sectors.  SNAP is also an important economic indicator with $1.00 of SNAP spending resulting in a $1.79 benefit for food sectors and the community (1).

B. DFFC urges the nation to retain the current SNAP structure, which enables the program to expand and contract rapidly to support people facing financial hardship. 

Congress has considered proposals to convert SNAP to a “block grant” program.  Converting the program to a block grant structure will limit access for the very people whom the program effectively supports.

C. DFFC urges the nation to fund a SNAP Incentive Pilot Program, matching healthy food purchases made with SNAP benefits dollar-for-dollar.

This program has been administered successfully with private philanthropic funds for several years in cities nationwide, with the largest program currently operating in Detroit. The impact is two-fold; small to mid- sized farmers have access to new customers, and residents using SNAP benefits have an incentive to purchase fresh produce in their own communities, thus supporting a local food economy. It is estimated that 424 farmers markets offered incentives in 2011, resulting in more than $3M of SNAP and incentive purchasing power nationwide (2).

D. DFFC urges the nation to continue current efforts ensuring that SNAP is accepted at all farmers markets.

Detroit’s Eastern Market, one of the largest and oldest public market districts in the country, began accepting SNAP in 2008 and saw a 128% increase in gross SNAP sales in one year.  Over the last 4 years they have seen a consistent increase in gross SNAP sales in excess of 60% annually (3), which demonstrates the important role farmers markets play in providing access to fresh produce for low-income and urban communities. USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s $4M appropriation in 2012 to support POS terminals at farmers markets is very encouraging and we would like to see this support continue.

E. DFFC urges the nation to continue SNAP-Ed. 

The SNAP-Education program provides nutrition education and social marketing campaigns with the specific goal of increasing the likelihood that SNAP-eligible citizens will make healthier food choices.  As community-based organizations work for better access to healthy food in low-income and urban communities, we also recognize the importance of programs that offer residents the opportunity to make educated decisions.
  
2) Specialty Crops: DFFC urges the nation to maintain and enhance its priority on fruit and vegetable production.

Known as “specialty crops” in the farm bill, this designation understates the importance of fresh vegetables and fruit in the diets of all people – infants and growing children, teens, adults, and seniors -- for healthy living. The newly published USDA “plate” visually emphasizes the critical importance of this food sector in the current and long-term economic health of our nation and its people.

3) Emergency Food:  DFFC urges the nation to maintain 2008 funding levels for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Community Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). 

Emergency commodities programs were established to provide healthy emergency food for vulnerable people, particularly seniors and young children. If the funds for these programs are further reduced, the nation’s non-profit emergency food sector, which relies upon this nutritious food for about 25% of its food distribution, will be deeply challenged to meet the growing demands of hungry residents.  
  
4) USDA Grant and Loan Programs: DFFC urges the nation to increase urban access to USDA Grant and Loan Programs.

There is an overwhelming perception that USDA grant and loan programs are not generally available to urban organizations or entrepreneurs, or have cumbersome restrictions that make the programs unattractive to those in urban settings.  We strongly urge the USDA to better market grant and loan programs to producers, processors, and other food entrepreneurs in urban areas. 

Additional Priorities include: 
Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development (HUFED) - Three Detroit organizations have received HUFED grants, supporting the development of healthy food enterprises that create jobs, increase family incomes, and expand food access.

Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP)- Detroit farmers markets have used FMPP grants to secure the equipment and infrastructure support necessary for markets to accept SNAP benefits electronically.

Community Food Projects- Detroit organizations and neighborhoods have benefitted from this program, and it has also funded national organizations such as the Community Food Security Coalition.

Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI)- We are excited about this inter-agency approach and look forward to seeing many successes as a result of this initiative.

Maintain funding for the WIC program – We recognize that WIC is not a farm bill program, but DFFC members felt it was important to highlight the significance of this program, especially in Detroit (Wayne County).   WIC helps nourish almost half of the infants in America, many of whom have parents who are also eligible for SNAP benefits. In 2009, approximately 64% of Wayne County children ages 0-4 were enrolled in the WIC program (4).

Esteemed members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees: 
As engaged citizens working to ensure that Detroit stays fit, healthy and has good food, we respectfully submit these policy priorities and urge you consider them as you pass the next farm bill in 2012.

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References: 
(1) U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(2) Fair Food Network, Double Up Food Bucks, November 2011 
(3) Detroit Eastern Market Corporation SNAP Sales Report, June 25, 2011. 
(4) Kids Count Data Center, http://datacenter.kidscount.org/