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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.
Food Access
Contact: Florida Health
- 850-245-4444
- health@flhealth.gov
-
Mailing Address
Florida Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way
Tallahassee, FL 32399
The Florida Department of Health works to increase access to nutritious food throughout the state. This involves improving access to healthy food and beverages through farmers markets, corner stores and other cooperatives, all of which are part of the built environment.
The long-term goal of the food access projects is to advance community health by increasing access to healthy food to help reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Food access projects don’t only involve health issues, but also community development. For this reason, access to healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food is a key component in a healthy, sustainable community.
Food access projects involve establishing new farmers’ markets in underserved areas and increasing the number of markets that accept:
Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program
SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.
Florida Snap
- SNAP is a federal program administered by the Florida Department of Children and Families' Office of Economic Self-Sufficiency.
Women, Infants, and Children
WIC provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods and health care referrals, as well as nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
Fresh Access Bucks
FAB makes fresh, local produce more affordable and accessible to low income families while supporting Florida’s farmers and enhancing our local economies. It does so by increasing the purchasing power of SNAP participants by providing a one-to-one match for Florida grown fruits and vegetables.
A SNAP cardholder who spends $10 of their SNAP benefits at a participating market receives an additional $10 to purchase fresh, local produce.
Farmers Markets
The potential economic impacts of a farmers market can include direct benefits such as profits to business owners in the market, job creation and an overall healthier community.
Communities may experience indirect benefits such as stimulating development in the community and enhancing local surroundings as well.
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